Angstrom Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Malcolm Finlayson

Bassam Damaj

A method of treating a disease characterized by aberrant cell migration and/or invasion includes administering to a subject an effective amount of the peptide of SEQ ID NO:3, an &#x212b;6 polypeptide, or an isolated polypeptide consisting essentially of the Link region of human CD44 as indicated in FIG.to modulate a FAK signal transduction pathway for a sufficient period of time to treat the disease. A method of diagnosing a condition characterized by aberrant cell migration and/or invasion includes measuring the effect of these polypeptides on FAK signal transduction activity; wherein a change in FAK signal transduction activity is indicative of said aberrant cell migration or invasion. A method of diagnosing a condition characterized by aberrant cell migration and/or invasion includes imaging FAK signal transduction activity in the presence of these polypeptides.

Modulation of intracellular signaling

A peptide includes SEQ ID NO:3, substitution and addition variants thereof which maintain the ability to activate CD44. A complex includes this peptide or an &#x212b;6 polypeptide with a CD44 polypeptide. An isolated polypeptide includes the Link region sequence of human CD44, functionally active fragments thereof, substitution variants, and addition variants. A method of treating a disease characterized by aberrant cell migration and/or invasion includes administering to a subject an effective amount of the peptide of SEQ ID NO:3 or an &#x212b;6 polypeptide to bind to a CD44 polypeptide and modulate signal transduction activity for a sufficient period of time to treat the disease. Other methods include using the peptide of SEQ ID NO:3 or an &#x212b;6 polypeptide for diagnosing, identifying a subpopulation of subjects responsive to treatment, and screening for compounds that bind a CD44 polypeptide.

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Solana Beach, CA, United States of America

Malcolm Finlayson