The Brigham and Women's Hospital, Inc.

Children's Medical Center Corporation

The United States Government As Represented by the Department of Veterans Affairs

The Schepens Eye Research Institute, Inc.

Va Boston Healthcare System

Markus H Frank

Mohamed H Sayegh

Natasha Y Frank

Bruce Ksander

Paraskevi Evi Kolovou

Dennis Paul Orgill

George F Murphy

Dennis P Orgill

The present invention is directed to methods and compositions for modulating ABCB5+ stem cell activity. The invention also relates to assays and reagents for manipulating and characterizing compounds that modulate ABCB5+ cell signaling.

ABCB5 ligands and substrates

The present invention is directed to purified preparations of dermal mesenchymal stem cells that are characterized by the cell surface expression of the ABCB5 P-glycoprotein. The cells may be used for any purpose that mesenchymal stem cells from other course are used. For instance they may be administered to treat an organ transplant recipient to improve allograft survival or as a treatment to patients with autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.

ABCB5 positive mesenchymal stem cells as immunomodulators

The present invention relates in part to the discovery of genes that are deregulated in cancer stem cells (e.g., melanoma stem cells). In some aspects, methods for treating individuals having melanoma are provided; the methods involve modulating (e.g., inducing, inhibiting, etc.) the activity of the cancer stem cell associated genes. In other aspects, cell surface genes that are upregulated in melanoma stem cells are targeted for the selective isolation, detection, and killing of cancer stem cells in melanoma. Other aspects of the invention relate to reagents, arrays, compositions, and kits that are useful for diagnosing and treating melanoma.

Therapeutic and diagnostic methods relating to cancer stem cells

The present invention is directed to wound healing scaffolds cografted with a population of stem cells, wherein the population of stem cells are ABCB5+ stem cells. The scaffolds are, for instance, collagen glycosaminoglycan scaffolds.

Wound healing and tissue engineering

Various aspects and embodiments of the present invention are directed to methods of treating a subject having an ocular condition, methods of isolating ocular stem cells, methods of selecting and/or producing ocular grafts for transplantation, and methods of promoting ocular cell regeneration as well as to grafts and preparations containing isolated ocular stem cells characterized by the expression of ABCB5 on their cell surface.

ABCB5(+) stem cells for treating ocular disease

The invention relates to methods for treating a subject by manipulating ABCB5 on a cell as well as related products. The methods include methods of treating cancer using ABCB5 binding molecules such as antibodies and fragments thereof.

Targeting ABCB5 for cancer therapy

The invention relates to an MDR family P-glycoprotein located on human chromosome 7p15-21, polynucleotide sequences encoding this P-glycoprotein and fragments thereof. This gene is utilized in methods for assessing cancer cell susceptibility to therapies directed against multidrug resistance, and for the design of diagnostic and therapeutic methods relating to cancer multidrug resistance. The invention also relates to methods for determining whether a test compound may inhibit multidrug resistance.

Gene encoding a multidrug resistance human P-glycoprotein homologue on chromosome 7p15-21 and uses thereof

The invention related to methods for treating a subject by manipulating ABCB5 on a cell as well as related products. The methods include methods of treating cancer using ABCB5 binding molecules such as antibodies and fragments thereof.

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Cambridge, MA, United States of America

Markus H Frank