University of California

Centelion

Ju Chen

Sylvia Evans

Chenleng Cai

Kenneth R Chien

Michael G Rosenfeld

Wenlai Zhou

Alessandra Moretti

Patrick Benoit

Lizhu Lin

Karl Laugwitz

Ken Chien

Karl-Ludwig Laugwitz

Yibing Qyang

Bertrand Schwartz

Didier Branellec

The present invention relates to a small molecule high-throughput screening assay consisting of detectably labeled cardiac progenitor cells. The invention also describes a method of identifying small molecules from the high-throughput assay affecting cardiogenesis and/or modulating cardiac progenitor cell development. Also described are methods of stimulating maturation of cardiac progenitor cells using a GSK-3&#x3b2; inhibitor.

Methods of identifying small molecules for renewals, survival and migration of cardiac progenitors

The invention herein provides a mode of treating a disease associated with the regulation of T-Box and N-Myc gene, which includes cancers and heart disease in human and other subjects by identifying and administering a compound which modulates T-Box or N-Myc function. The invention also provides polynucleotides, polypeptides, vectors, cells, tissues and organisms useful in the identification and treatment of metabolic syndrome. A number of desirable cell proliferation and senescence regulating aspects are achieved by various embodiments of the present invention.

Compositions and methods for treating diseases associated with T-box and N-Myc

The present invention provides in vitro methods of expansion and propagation of undifferentiated progenitor cells and more specifically undifferentiated progenitor cells containing Islet1, a marker apparently unique to proliferating cardiac stem cells. Methods are described for isolation of stem cell populations as well as for provoking expansion and propagation of undifferentiated progenitor cells without differentiation, to provide cardiac repair or improve cardiac function, for example.

Use of islet 1 as a marker for isolating or generating stem cells

The invention herein provides a mode of treating a disease associated with the regulation of T-Box and N-Myc gene which includes cancers and heart disease in human and other subjects by identifying and administering a compound which modulates T-Box or N-Myc function. The invention also provides polynucleotides, polypeptides, vectors, cells, tissues and organisms useful in the identification and treatment of metabolic syndrome. A number of desirable cell proliferation and senescence regulating aspects are achieved by various embodiments of the present invention.

The invention relates to novel promoter sequences derived from a portion upstream of the coding sequence of the gene for the CARP protein (Cardiac Ankyrin Repeat Protein), and which are capable of controlling the level and the specificity of expression of a transgene in vivo in cardiac muscle cells. The invention thus describes novel compositions, constructs, vectors and their uses in vivo for the transfer and expression of a nucleic acid in vivo in cardiac muscle cells. The subject of the present invention is also the use of the promoter sequences for generating transgenic animals which constitute models for studying certain cardiac pathologies.

Sequences upstream of the CARP gene, vectors containing them and uses thereof

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San Diego, CA, United States of America

Ju Chen