University of Arkansas

Other

The United States of America, As Represented by the Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services

Research, Incorporated

Bioventures, LLC

Ic Therapeutics Inc.

Timothy J O'Brien

Lowell J Underwood

Martin J Cannon

Alessandro D Santin

John Beard

Hirotoshi Tanimoto

Kazushi Shigemasa

Cesar M Compadre

Yanbin Li

Philip J Breen

E Kim Fifer

Michael F Slavik

Hamid Salari

Danny L Lattin

Morteza Naghavi

Amy L Waldroup

Kristina L Bondurant

Thomas F Berg

Albert Andrew Yen

David Panthagani

Kazushi Shiqemasa

Yinxiang Wang

Gary Lee McQuilkin

Haider Hassan

Kellie Kozak Vaidya

Kellie L Kozak

Stephan Cleboski

Craig Jamieson

Timothy Brinkley

Nachiket Kharalkar

Sung Moon

Kellie J Kozak

Methods and apparatus for blood sampling from skin capillaries are provided. Blood extraction is improved by applying gradient pressure in a proximal to distal direction of an extremity. Blood is extracted and sampled from the skin capillaries with a blood sampling mechanism of at least a lancet and testing kit.

Methods and apparatus for blood sampling

The invention involves the discovery that if dendritic cells loaded with a tumor antigen are cultured in interleukin-15 (IL-15), or if T cells activated by the dendritic cells are cultured in IL-15, Treg activity that is specific for the tumor antigen is reduced. This reduction in Treg activity results in an increase in anti-tumor immune response. Another embodiment of the invention involves the discovery that incubating dendritic cells with a MAP kinase inhibitor in combination with IL-15 gives synergistic benefits when the dendritic cells are used to activate T cells. Dendritic cell and T cell compositions incubated with IL-15 or a MAP kinase inhibitor are provided.

Inhibition of dendritic cell-driven regulatory T cell activation and potentiation of tumor antigen-specific T cell responses by interleukin-15 and MAP kinase inhibitor

Peptides of from about 7 to about 50 amino acid residues in length that have epitopes that bind to more than one HLA class II protein and stimulate CD4+ T cells for treatment of cancer from one of three serine proteases overexpressed in ovarian cancer and other cancers&#x2014;stratum corneum chymotryptic enzyme, matriptase, and hepsin&#x2014;are described. Since the peptides bind to more than one HLA class II protein variant, they can be used to treat cancer in most patients of a population having a variety of HLA class II alleles. The peptides can be loaded onto autologous dendritic cells of a cancer patient and infused into the patient to activate a CD4+ and CD8+ T cell response that recognizes tumor cells expressing the peptide antigen.

Multi-epitope peptide-loaded dendritic cell immunotherapy for cancer

The CA125 gene has been cloned and multiple repeat sequences as well as the carboxy terminus have been identified. The CA125 molecule comprises three major domains: an extracellular amino terminal domain (Domain 1); a large multiple repeat domain (Domain 2); and a carboxy terminal domain (Domain 3) which includes a transmembrane anchor with a short cytoplasmic domain. The amino terminal domain is dominated by its capacity for O-glycosylation and its resultant richness in serine and threonine residues. An amino terminal extension is presented, which comprises four genomic exons. The molecular structure is dominated by a repeat domain comprising 156 amino acid repeat units, which encompass the epitope binding sites. More than 60 repeat units have been identified, sequenced, and contiguously placed in the CA125 domain structure. More specifically, this invention is directed to a CA125 cDNA sequence which can be introduced into animal or human cells to achieve transcription or expression of the cDNA.

CA125 gene and its use for diagnostic and therapeutic interventions

A system and method for inducing physiological effects of ischemic conditioning and physiological effects of shear stress in a subject's body that mimic the effect of exercise on the subject. The disclosure includes a first device configured to cause ischemia, a second device configured to mechanically generate arterial shear stress, and a third device configured to monitor one or more of markers of ischemia or hemodynamic parameters and further including a microcontroller and actuators to cause the ischemia for a preset duration and then stop the ischemia for a preset duration, and to repeat the ischemia and reflow periods according to a preset program, simultaneously cause the second device to mechanically generate arterial shear stress according to a preset program of mechanical pulse amplitude, duration, and frequency; and to concurrently monitor hemodynamic parameters or markers of ischemia. The method and device further includes application of electrical muscle stimulation, body vibration and chemical stimuli.

Systems for replicating the beneficial effects of physical exercise and improving cardiovascular health

The CA125 gene has been cloned and multiple repeat sequences as well as the carboxy terminus have been identified. The CA125 molecule comprises three major domains: an extracellular amino terminal domain (Domain 1); a large multiple repeat domain (Domain 2); and a carboxy terminal domain (Domain 3) which includes a transmembrane anchor with a short cytoplasmic domain. An amino terminal extension is present. The molecular structure is dominated by a repeat domain comprising 156 amino acid repeat units. More than 60 repeat units have been identified, sequenced, and contiguously placed in the CA125 domain structure. The repeat units encompass an interactive disulfide bridged C-enclosure and the site of OC125 and M11 binding. The repeat sequences demonstrated 70-85% homology to each other. Expression of the repeats was demonstrated in. The CA125 molecule is anchored at its carboxy terminal through a transmembrane domain and a short cytoplasmic tail.

The present invention provides a DNA encoding a novel extracellular serine protease termed Tumor Antigen Derived Gene-14 (TADG-14) which is overexpressed in ovarian, breast and colon carcinoma samples. Also provided are vector and host cells capable of expressing the DNA of the present invention, as well as the uses of the DNA and protein of the present invention. Also provided is a TADG-14 protein variant that has a potential role for detecting and targeting of ovarian carcinomas.

Extracellular serine protease

The present invention relates to assessing and measuring vascular and endothelial function. A vasostimulant is provided to a patient to stimulate hemodynamic activity in a selected extremity and vascular function is assessed by monitoring a change in a blood flow, skin temperature and/or blood oxygen content at the selected extremity and assessing the patient's vascular function based upon the monitoring.

Method and apparatus for determining vascular health conditions

A concentrated quaternary ammonium compound (QAC) solution comprising a QAC with a concentration greater than about 10% by weight and at least one solubility enhancing agent, such as an alcohol, is disclosed. A diluted QAC solution is useful on food products to prevent microbial growth on the food from a broad spectrum of foodborne microbial contamination. Also disclosed is a method of contacting food products with the dilute QAC for an application time of at least 0.1 second. Foods that can be treated by this method are meat and meat products, seafood, vegetables, fruit, dairy products, pet foods and snacks, and any other food that can be 10 treated and still retain its appearance and texture. One of the treatment methods is spraying and misting the QAC solutions on the food products for an application time of at least 0.1 second to prevent broad spectrum foodborne microbial contamination.

Concentrated, non-foaming solution of quaternary ammonium compounds and methods of use

The present invention discloses the protease stratum corneum chymotrytic enzyme (SCCE) is specifically over-expressed in ovarian and other malignancies. A number of SCCE peptides can induce immune responses to SCCE, thereby demonstrating the potential of these peptides in monitoring and the development of immunotherapies for ovarian and other malignancies.

Immunotherapeutic methods targeted toward stratum corneum chymotryptic enzyme

The CA125 gene has been cloned. The CA125 molecule comprises three major domains: an extracellular amino terminal domain; a large multiple repeat domain; and a carboxy terminal domain which includes a transmembrane anchor with a short cytoplasmic domain. Additionally, an amino terminal extension is present. The molecular structure is dominated by a repeat domain comprising more than sixty 156-amino-acid repeat units The repeat units encompass an interactive disulfide bridged C-enclosure and the site of OC125 and M11 binding. The CA125 molecule is anchored at its carboxy terminal through a transmembrane domain and a short cytoplasmic tail. The structure has potential for use as a new gold standard for detecting the CA125 antigen, and can provide a basis for the development of a vaccine useful for the treatment of ovarian cancer and other carcinomas where CA125 is elevated.

The present invention discloses the protease stratum corneum chymotryptic enzyme (SCCE) is specifically over-expressed in ovarian and other malignancies. A number of SCCE peptides can induce immune responses to SCCE, thereby demonstrating the potential of these peptides in monitoring and the development of immunotherapies for ovarian and other malignancies.

Methods for the early diagnosis of ovarian cancer

The present invention provides a DNA encoding a TADG-14 protein selected from the group consisting of: (a) isolated DNA which encodes a TADG-14 protein; (b) isolated DNA which hybridizes to isolated DNA of (a) above and which encodes a TADG-14 protein; and (c) isolated DNA differing from the isolated DNAs of (a) and (b) above in codon sequence due to the degeneracy of the genetic code, and which encodes a TADG-14 protein. Also provided is a vector capable of expressing the DNA of the present invention adapted for expression in a recombinant cell and regulatory elements necessary for expression of the DNA in the cell.

Growing community of inventors

Little Rock, AR, United States of America

Timothy J O'Brien