206 results about "Chemotaxis" patented technology

Abstract of Disclosure The invention relates to compounds for topically influencing the activity of dipeptidyl peptidase of the general formula wherein A is an amino acid having at least one functional group in the side chain;B is a chemical compound covalently bound to a functional group of the side chain of A, chosen from the group consisting of (a) oligopeptides having a chain length of up to 20 amino acids, (b) homopolymers of glycine consisting of up to 6 glycine monomers, and (c) polyethylene glycols having molar masses of up to 20 000 g/mol; and C is a group amide-bonded to A chosen from the group consisting of thiazolidine, pyrrolidine, cyanopyrrolidine, hydroxyproline, dehydroproline or piperidine. The invention further relates to the use of said compounds for targeted intervention in local immunological processes (chemotaxis, inflammatory processes, autoimmune diseases), as well as effective and targeted treatment of pathophysiological and physiological processes related thereto (psoriasis, periodontitis, arthritis, allergies, inflammation), inter alia.

Novel activating receptors of the Ig super-family expressed on human myeloid cells, called TREM(s) (triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells) are provided. Specifically, two (2) members of TREMs, TREM-1 and TREM-2 are disclosed. TREM-1 is a transmembrane glycoprotein expressed selectively on blood neutrophils and a subset of monocytes but not on lymphocytes and other cell types and is upregulated by bacterial and fungal products. Use of TREM-1 in treatment and diagnosis of various inflammatory diseases is also provided. TREM-2 is also a transmembrane glycoprotein expressed selectively on mast cells and peripheral dendritic cells (DCs) but not on granulocytes or monocytes. DC stimulation via TREM-2 leads to DC maturation and resistance to apoptosis, and induces strong upregulation of CCR⁷ and subsequent chemotaxis toward macrophage inflammatory protein 3-β. TREM-2 has utility in modulating host immune responses in various immune disorders, including autoimmune diseases and allergic disorders.

A microfluidic method and device for testing and analyzing chemotaxis by providing a stable, static fluid gradient. The device includes a sink reservoir for receiving biological cellular material and a source reservoir for receiving a chemoattractant. The biological cellular material migrates through a low fluid volume microfluidic gradient channel located between the source and sink reservoirs. The fluid in the gradient channel is static and stable due to a high fluid volume closed circuit bypass microfluidic channel also in fluid communication with the source and sink reservoirs, whereby the bypass channel relieves any pressure differential imparted across the gradient channel.

An improved microfluidic device and method of using the microfluidic device to measure natural motile response of a living moiety to a chemotactic agent. The invention comprises integrating microfluidic containment trenches within the microfluidic devices for cellular trapping, manipulation and real-time analysis of biological phenomena, including chemotaxis. The invention captures the design methodology for these traps, as well as the fabrication means and the associated external control mechanism that allows rapid, reversible and fully controlled changes in the chemical environment to which trapped cells are exposed.

A recombinant bacterium capable of reducing tumor growth is provided, wherein said recombinant bacterium is capable of: a. increased expression of a nucleic acid encoding a chemoreceptor that directs chemotaxis towards tumors, b. accumulation in a quiescent tumor, c. hyper-invasion of a tumor, d. reduced fitness in normal tissue, e. enhanced stimulation of the host innate immune responses, f. delivering a tumor specific DNA vaccine vector to a tumor cell, and g. increased bacterium-induced host programmed cell death.

The present invention discloses a device for monitoring chemotaxis or chemoinvasion including a housing comprising: a support member and a top member, the top member mounted to the support member by being placed in substantially fluid-tight conformal contact with the support member. The support member and the top member are configured such that they together define a discrete chamber adapted to allow a monitoring of chemotaxis or chemoinvasion therein. The discrete chamber includes a first well region including at least one first well, the at least one first well configured to received a test agent therein; a second well region including at least one second well, the at least one second well configured to receive a sample comprising cells therein; and a channel region including at least one channel connecting the first well region and the second well region with one another. The second well region is preferably horizontally offset with respect to the first well region in a test orientation of the device.

Disclosed is substantially pure eotaxin DNA sequence and eotaxin polypeptide, and methods of using such DNA and polypeptide to direct chemotaxis of eosinophils. Methods are provided for the treatment diseases and disorders such as inflammation and tumorigenesis.

Described herein are novel biological circuit chemotactic converter that utilize modular components, such as genetic toggle switches and single invertase memory modules (SIMMs), for detecting and converting external inputs, such as chemoattractants, into outputs that allow for autonomous chemotaxis in cellular systems. Flexibility in these biological circuit chemotactic converter is provided by combining individual modular components, i.e., SIMMs and genetic toggle switches, together. These biological converter switches can be combined in a variety of network topologies to create network systems that regulate chemotactic responses based on the combination and nature of input signals received.

Methods of modulating eosinophil migration, chemotaxis or generation, in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo are provided. Methods include contacting eosinophils with an amount of 5-HT2A receptor agonist or antagonist sufficient to modulate eosinophil migration, chemotaxis or generation.

The chemokine receptor CXCR4 is a co-receptor for T-tropic strains of HIV-1. A number of small molecule antagonists of CXCR4 are in development, but all are likely to lead to adverse effects due to the physiological function of CXCR4. To prevent these complications, allosteric agonists may be therapeutically useful as adjuvant therapy in combination with small molecule antagonists. A synthetic cDNA library coding for 160,000 different SDF-based peptides was screened for CXCR4 agonist activity in a yeast strain expressing functional receptor. Peptides that activated CXCR4 in an autocrine manner induced colony formation. Two peptides, designated RSVM and ASLW, were identified as novel agonists that are insensitive to the CXCR4 antagonist AMD3100. In chemotaxis assays using the acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell line CCRF-CEM, RSVM behaves as a partial agonist and ASLW as a superagonist. The superagonist activity of ASLW may be related to its inability to induce receptor internalization. In CCRF-CEM cells, the two peptides are also not inhibited by another CXCR4 antagonist, T140, or the neutralizing monoclonal antibodies 12G5 and 44717.111. These results suggest that alternative agonist binding sites are present on CXCR4 that could be screened to develop molecules for therapeutic use.

The invention relates to the detection of specified, flagellated bacteria, particularly Salmonella, in food and stool. A single culturing period of about 12 to 24 hours in a liquid nutrient medium without agitation is combined with a position-selective sampling of the flagellated microbes from the liquid of the culture, after which a mass spectrometric detection method is used which recognizes the target bacteria in mixtures. A second culture step is only necessary in exceptional cases. A species-selective or genus-selective culture medium is advantageous. Positional selection becomes possible because these bacteria use their flagella to counteract sedimentation by chemotaxis, and they collect near the surface. This provides a low-cost detection method that is several days faster than conventional methods

The invention provides a preparation method and application of a new therapeutic vaccine for dendritic tumor cells. The therapeutic tumor vaccine is chemotherapeutic drug induced tumor antigen, wherein, the dendritic cells are loaded and activated. The chemotherapeutic medicament induced tumor antigen contains a plurality of immunostimulation molecules as well as tumor-associated and specific antigen, which can remarkably carry out chemotaxis and activation on immunocytes such as the dendritic cells, T-cells (thymus-dependent lymphocytes) and the like, stimulate the dendritic cells to be mature and express a plurality of cell factors and chemotactic factors, effectively induce immune response reaction with antigenic specificity and non-specificity and strengthen body immune function. The therapeutic vaccine provided by the invention can be used for preventing and treating tumors and has the characteristics of simple preparation process, low cost, strong specificity, obvious curative effect and the like.

A method is provided for the isolation of endothelial progenitor cells from a source of progenitor cells by isolating a population of lineage-negative cells and further isolating CD34⁺ cells from the lineage-negative population by fluorescence-activated cell sorting. Isolated populations of endothelial progenitor cells and therapeutic compositions containing CD34⁺ cells for the induction of blood vessels, induction of angiogenic responses in surrounding blood vessels and the chemotaxis of inflammatory cells are also provided.

The present invention relates to a microfluidic device used for cell motility screening and chemotaxis testing which comprises microfluidic channels and chambers. Cells which can secret a chemoattractant or chemorepellent are selectively planted in the microfluidic device and a stable chemoattractant or chemorepellent gradient can be established in the channels.

There are provided uses of an antibody directed to CX3CR1 and fractalkine. Killer lymphocytes can be readily identified, eliminated and separated by using an anti-CX3CR1 antibody. Further, there can be provided an antibody drug for suppressing chemotaxis and cytotoxic activity of killer lymphocytes by suppressing an interaction between CX3CR1 and fractalkine.

An image processing method for use in analyzing image data of a cellular migration assay. The method includes defining a major axis within the image data that is perpendicular to an orientation of channels in the image data, determining an aggregate light intensity within the image data along the major axis, and identifying locations of channels within the image data from the projection.