Academia Sinica

University of California

National Taiwan University

National Health Research Institutes

Leland Stanford Junior University

Taipei Medical University

Konan Peck

Pan-Chyr Yang

Richard A Mathies

Alexander N Glazer

Cheng-Wen Wu

Yi-Chung Chang

Jeremy J W Chen

Shuenn-Chen Yang

Jin-Yuan Shih

Lubert Stryer

Chi-Yuan Chen

Tse-Ming Hong

Reen Wu

Wei-Yun Lai

Ji-Yen Cheng

Bo-Tsang Huang

Cheng-Ju Chang

Fu Sheng Chang

Yi-Wen Chu

Shu-Li Wung

Shauh-Der Yeh

Yuh-Pyng Sher

Aptamers that bind to and inhibit CTLA-4 and uses thereof in enhancing immune activities, and treating cancer and HIV infection are provided.

Antagonistic CTLA-4 aptamers and applications thereof in enhancing immune activity

Methods of assaying a biological target are disclosed. The method comprises: (a) providing a sample containing the biological target; (b) providing biotin-labeled first aptamers conjugated to a gold nanoparticle (GNP), and second aptamers conjugated to a magnetic bead, wherein the first and the second aptamers exhibit specific binding affinities to the target; (c) incubating the sample with the first and the second aptamers to obtain target-bound aptamers; (d) separating the target-bound aptamers from unbound aptamers; (e) eluting the first aptamers from the GNP; (f) incubating the eluted biotin-labeled first aptamers with streptavidin-magnetic beads and reporter gold nanoparticles (GNPs) to obtain a complex comprising: the bead, the first aptamers, attached to the bead; and the reporter GNPs captured by the bead through the first aptamers; (g) eluting the reporter GNPs captured; and (h) detecting the target by measuring and analyzing a light-scattering signal of the eluted reporter GNPs.

Ultrasensitive detection of a biological target by aptamer-conjugated gold nanoparticles

The invention provides DNAzymes which are capable to silence the expression of EGFR at allele-specific level. These allele-specific DNAzymes against EGFR T790M mutation will knockdown the expression of EGFR T790M mRNA while keeping EGFR wild-type mRNA intact. Hence, these allele-specific DNAzymes against EGFR T790M mutation may overcome T790M-derived TKI resistance accompanied with lower unwanted side effects on normal cells in lung cancer patients.

Dnazyme for silencing the expression of EGFR

The present invention discloses a method for rapid assessment of lung cancer therapy efficacy in a few days instead of weeks by conventional imaging methods. This method can also be used to detect relapse of the cancer and to improve the current TNM cancer staging method for more accurate prognosis. The rapid assessment of therapy efficacy is based on detecting circulating cancer cells in body fluid with high positive detection rate. The high positive detection rate is achieved by using qPCR amplification of multiple marker genes identified by in silico search of DNA sequence database. This invention also discloses a scoring method to calculate the cancer cell load based on qPCR results to correlate the amount of circulating cancer cells in lung cancer patients and predict the treatment outcomes.

Rapid efficacy assessment method for lung cancer therapy

This invention is based on the discovery of an association of Collapsin Response Mediator Protein-1 (CRMP-1) with tumor metastasis. The level of CRMP-1 protein or mRNA can be used as an indicator of cellular invasiveness and of a test compound's ability to alter cellular invasiveness. The level of CRMP-1 protein can also be altered, e.g., to reduce invasiveness.

Collapsin response mediator protein-1

Apparatuses and methods are described for parallel oligonucleotide synthesis of hundreds of different sequences and lengths at a time. Standard phosphoramidite chemistry is employed. The syntheses take place in a reaction plate compatible with the industrial standard microplate format to allow the use of readily available automated instruments for subsequent processing. Key parameters in reducing synthesis volume in small reaction wells are discussed. This invention provides solutions to the difficulties of low volume, high number synthetic reactions.

Apparatus and methods for chemical synthesis

Novel fluorescent labeling techniques and fluorescent labels are provided, employing high affinity non-covalently binding and intercalating fluorescent dyes and dsDNA. The dyes find application to provide highly sensitive labeling of nucleic acids in electrophoretic gels and as pre-prepared labels for binding to a wide variety of specific binding pair members. The DNA-dye fluorescer complex can be used for labels in diagnostic assays, detection of specific nucleic acid sequences, and the like.

Multichromophore fluorescent probes using DNA intercalation complexes

The invention relates to a method of detecting a differentially expressed gene in a first sample of nucleic acids representing a first population of RNA transcripts and a second sample of nucleic acids representing a second population of RNA transcripts. The nucleic acids in the samples are labled with a member of specific binding pair, and the labeled nucleic acids in each sample are then hybridized to an excess of copies of a gene-specific sequence. The hybridized nucleic acids in each sample are further labeled by binding a second member of the specific binding pair to the first member, in which the second member has an activity to convert a chromogenic substrate into a chromogen. As a result of contacting the second member with the chromogenic substrate, the chromogenic substrate is converted into the chromogen. A difference in the amounts of chromogen produced from assaying the two samples indicate that the gene-specific sequence is differentially expressed in the samples.

Methods for detecting differentially expressed genes

The present invention discloses a method for rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing to screen antibiotics in a few hours instead of days by conventional methods. This method can also be used to identify susceptible antibiotics to treat mycobacterial infection in a few days instead of the usual six to eight weeks. Fast screening of antibiotics is achieved by a short period of specimen incubation in different antibiotics embedded media to create differential bacterial counts. The differences of bacterial counts among antibiotics embedded media are subsequently amplified by DNA amplification methods for detection. Following DNA amplification, rapid quantitation and minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) determinations for a panel of antibiotics are achieved in less than one minute by fluorescence quantitation methods.

Methods for rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing

Multichromophore fluorescent DNA intercalation complexes

A fluorescent scanner for scanning the fluorescence from a fluorescence labeled separated sample on a sample carrier including a confocal microscope for illuminating a predetermined volume of the sample carrier and/or receiving and processing fluorescence emissions from said volume to provide a display of the separated sample.

Laser excited confocal microscope fluorescence scanner and method

Apparatus is described for ultrasensitive detection of single fluorescent particles down to the single fluorescent molecule limit in a fluid or on a substrate comprising means for illuminating a predetermined volume of the fluid or area of the substrate whereby to emit light including background light from the fluid and burst of photons from particles residing in the area. The photon burst is detected in real time to generate output representative signal. The signal is received and the burst of energy from the fluorescent particles is distinguished from the background energy to provide an indication of the number, location or concentration of the particles or molecules.

Growing community of inventors

Taipei, Taiwan

Konan Peck