The present disclosure relates to single guide RNA (sgRNA), Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR associate protein 9 (Cas9) system, and methods of use thereof for preventing, ameliorating or treating corneal dystrophies.

Embodiments described herein relate to a recombinant nucleic acid construct comprising a nucleic acid molecule encoding a polypeptide having at least 90% sequence identity with the amino acid sequence, or fragment thereof, of SEQ ID NO:2; SEQ ID NO:4; SEQ ID NO; 6: SEQ ID NO:8; SEQ ID NO: 10; SEQ ID NO: 12; SEQ ID NO: 14; or SEQ ID NO: 16, as well as keratin-degrading compositions, methods of recombinantly producing a polypeptide, and methods of degrading keratin.

Methods are provided to produce optimal fractionations of charged keratins that have superior biomedical activity. Also provided are medical implants coated with these keratin preparations. Further provided are methods of treating blood coagulation in a patient in need thereof.

This invention is intended to produce a novel functional material through solubilization and molecular weight reduction of a water-insoluble polymeric compound, such as a water-insoluble protein or water-insoluble polysaccharide, in a simple and efficient manner. This invention provides a method for producing a degradation product of a water-insoluble polymeric compound comprising the steps of: bringing a water-insoluble polymeric compound into contact with a solid acid catalyst, heating the resulting mixture, and recovering a supernatant; adding an aqueous medium to the solid acid catalyst after the supernatant is recovered, agitating and heating the resulting mixture, and recovering a supernatant; washing the solid acid catalyst with an aqueous medium and recovering a wash solution; mixing the recovered supernatant with the wash solution, so as to obtain a fraction that has not adsorbed to the solid acid catalyst; and eluting an adsorbed fraction from the solid acid catalyst and recovering an eluate, so as to obtain a fraction that has adsorbed to the solid acid catalyst.

Disclosed herein are quality control devices and methods for histopathology staining. Specifically disclosed is a device that includes a cellulose film containing less than two plasticizers.

A method for extracting keratin from wool fibers is described. The method includes treating the wool fibers in a solvent, washing, and drying to form cleaned wool fibers. The method incudes cutting the cleaned wool fibers and dispersing in an ionic liquid to form a slurry. The method further includes sonicating the slurry to form a first composition containing dissolved keratin. The method also includes mixing the first composition with water to precipitate the keratin from the first composition. Additionally, the method involves separating and collecting the precipitated keratin from the first composition, washing, and drying to form the keratin. The method for extracting keratin from natural fibers is also described.

Methods are provided to produce optimal fractionations of charged keratins that have superior biomedical activity. Also provided are medical implants coated with these keratin preparations. Further provided are methods of treating blood coagulation in a patient in need thereof.

This invention relates to the field of preparing water-soluble powders of protein extracted from organic waste including, but not limited to manure, food waste, digestate of anaerobic digesters, animal body parts such as hair, wool, nails, skins, feathers, hooves, claws and other body parts by thermal hydrolysis process (THP) without using chemical solvents. The protein includes, but not limited to, keratin, collagen, manure protein, plant proteins. More specifically, the invention relates to process to prepare water-soluble powders of protein recovered from organic waste by adjusting the pH of the extracted solution before undergoing concentration of the solution, removal of water from the solution, finally drying processes such as a spray drying or freeze drying to prepare water-soluble powders.

The present disclosure relates to methods of preparing an ultra-low molecular weight keratin peptide and use thereof. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a method of preparing an ultra-low molecular weight keratin peptide using culturing a microorganism having keratinolytic activity in a medium including keratin, ultrafiltration, ion exchange chromatography and gel filtration chromatography, a peptide prepared by the method, and a cosmetic and food composition for preventing or improving skin aging or skin wrinkles including the same. According to the method of preparing a keratin peptide of the present invention, it is possible to eco-friendly biologically treat waste resources and efficiently purify and recover anti-aging functional ultra-low molecular weight keratin peptides. In addition, the keratin peptide of the present disclosure breaks down collagen to have abilities to inhibit MMP-1 expression and activity, which is an enzyme that causes skin aging, which has an excellent effect on anti-skin aging and skin wrinkle improvement and has no toxicity to skin cells. It is suitable for use as a cosmetic, pharmaceutical or food composition for preventing, improving or treating skin aging or skin wrinkles, thereby being effectively used for the efficient and rapid production and development of high value-added functional cosmetic substances.

A three-dimensional cell culture system that includes a keratin-based hydrogel precursor solution and a cell culture vessel is provided. The precursor solution includes solubilized keratin that has been functionalized to include a crosslinking moiety. The crosslinking moiety exhibits controllable crosslinking, e.g., a photopolymerizable crosslinking moiety. The crosslinking functionality is bonded to the keratin via cysteines following reduction of disulfide bonds of the native keratin. The precursor solution can be combined with cells to form a cell suspension that is disposed on a surface of the cell culture vessel. Alternatively, the cells can be added to a surface of a keratin-based hydrogel that has been formed on a surface of the cell culture vessel. The resulting three-dimensional cell culture system is a biomimetic/biologic, trypsin-degradable cell culture system for expansion of mammalian cells. The expanded cells are expected to possess a morphology similar to the primary cells prior to cultivation.