A method of detecting hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) biomarkers in a sample from a human subject by detecting hepatocellular carcinoma biomarkers in the sample. The HCC biomarkers can include Tetracosanoic Acid, Heptadecanoic Acid, Eicosapentaenoic Acid, or Docosapentaenoic Acid. Optionally, the HCC biomarkers can further include osteopontin (OPN) and/or alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). The sample is a sample of a bodily fluid obtained from a human subject. The subject can be a healthy patient, a patient suspected of having a liver disorder, a patient previously diagnosed with liver cirrhosis, or a patient previously diagnosed with liver fibrosis.

An in-vitro diagnostic includes a housing, a storage, and a blocking agent. The housing houses a liquid including a test substance included in a sample extracted from a subject. The storage stores a substance that specifically reacts with the test substance. The blocking agent is placed to separate the container and the storage.

In various aspects, the present disclosure pertains to methods of performing a sample enrichment procedure, which comprise: adding a sample fluid that comprises at least one phospholipid and at least one target analyte to a sorbent that comprises a hydrophobic component and a cation exchange component, thereby resulting in sorbent with bound phospholipid and bound target analyte; adding an aqueous solution comprising an acidic compound and a salt; adding an organic solution to the sorbent thereby desorbing at least a portion of the bound phospholipid from the sorbent; and adding an elution solution to the sorbent, thereby desorbing at least a portion of the bound target analyte from the sorbent and forming a solution of the target analyte in the elution solution. In other aspects, the present disclosure pertains to kits, which may be used in conjunction with such methods.

A biosensor detector device is disclosed suitable for use in measuring membrane fluidity or membrane permeability. The biosensor detector device is formed of a solid substrate having a lipid bilayer compatible surface, a multi-lamellar lipid membrane structure derived from a biological cell and localized on the lipid bilayer compatible surface, an aqueous layer interposed between each lipid bilayer of the multi-lamellar lipid membrane structure. The biological membrane is derived from human red blood cells and localized on the lipid bilayer compatible surface. An electrode forming all or part of the lipid bilayer compatible surface may be used to detect disruptions in the multi-lamellar lipid membrane structure and hemolytic activity in a test sample.

This disclosure provides a method for detecting infection of an animal by Mycobacterium bovis. The method generally includes obtaining a biological sample from a host animal at risk of being infected by Mycobacterium bovis and analyzing the sample for the presence or absence of at least one M. bovis polypeptide. In some embodiments, the method can further include analyzing the sample for the presence or absence of at least one M. bovis lipid. In some embodiments, the method can further include detecting at least one host polypeptide whose expression is greater in a host infected with M. bovis compared to expression in a host known to be uninfected with M bovis.

The present invention provides a novel glyceroglycolipid produced by Mycoplasma pneumoniae. The glyceroglycolipid can be used as a diagnostic marker for a disease caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae.

The disclosure provides a lipid nanodisc including a lipid bilayer having two opposing hydrophilic faces and a hydrophobic edge between the hydrophilic faces, and a copolymer encircling the hydrophobic edge of the lipid bilayer, the copolymer including a first monomeric unit including a pendant aromatic group, and a second monomeric unit including a pendant hydrophilic group, wherein the first monomeric unit and the second monomeric unit are present in the copolymer is a molar ratio ranging from 1:1 to 3:1 for the first monomeric unit:the second monomeric unit. The disclosure further provides a method of making the polymer-based lipid nanodiscs of the disclosure and methods of characterizing membrane proteins using the polymer-based lipid nanodiscs of the disclosure.

The present application provides methods for preparing soluble lipidated ligand agents comprising a ligand entity and a lipid entity, and in some embodiments, provides relevant parameters of each of these components, thereby enabling appropriate selection of components to assemble active agents for any given target of interest.

The use of SAA/MAA levels in mammalian fluids to develop management strategies that maximize sustainability, mammalian health, productivity, and economic return including for example the formulation of cost effective nutritional management strategies, determining whether an individual mammal should be retained in a herd or culled, determining the value of the individual mammal as a contributor of genetic material for herd replacement, determining a course of immediate and/or prophylactic health care intervention, etc.

The disclosure generally relates generally to lipid nanodiscs, in particular to lipid nanodiscs formed from acryloyl-based copolymers. A lipid nanodisc according to the disclosure includes a lipid bilayer having a first hydrophilic face and a second hydrophilic face opposing the first hydrophilic face, and a hydrophobic edge between the opposing hydrophilic faces, and an acryloyl-based copolymer encircling the hydrophobic edge of the lipid bilayer. The acryloyl-based copolymer includes a first monomer unit having a pendant hydrophobic group and a second monomer unit having a pendant hydrophilic group. Methods of making and characterizing the lipid nanodiscs are also disclosed.