The present invention relates to peptides, proteins, nucleic acids and cells for use in immunotherapeutic methods. In particular, the present invention relates to the immunotherapy of cancer. The present invention furthermore relates to tumor-associated T-cell peptide epitopes, alone or in combination with other tumor-associated peptides that can for example serve as active pharmaceutical ingredients of vaccine compositions that stimulate anti-tumor immune responses, or to stimulate T cells ex vivo and transfer into patients. Peptides bound to molecules of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), or peptides as such, can also be targets of antibodies, soluble T-cell receptors, and other binding molecules.

Disclosed is the use of a DKK1 gene or the coded protein inhibitor thereof for the preparation of a composition or formulation used to prevent and/or treat tumor cachexia and diseases associated with diabetes. By inhibiting the expression or activity of the DKK1 gene or the protein encoded thereby in tumor cells, which can effectively prevent and/or treat tumor cachexia and diseases associated with diabetes, also provided is a method for detecting the protein expression level of DKK1 in blood, which level is taken as an indicator for precise treatment and judging prognosis.

Assays for screening for, or determining activity of, an agonist of lymphocyte-activation gene 3 (LAG-3) are described. According to the assays, a plurality of effector T cells is provided, each effector T cell expressing LAG-3 and a T-cell receptor (TCR) on its surface, and comprising a reporter gene encoding a reporter, wherein expression of the reporter is regulated by LAG-3-mediated inhibition of TCR signaling within the effector T cells. Activity of the agonist is determined from the extent to which expression of the reporter is altered in the presence of the agonist compared with expression of the reporter in the absence of the agonist. The assays may be used for determining the potency of a preparation of the agonist as part of a quality control step in production of the agonist, or for stability testing of a preparation of the agonist. Kits for carrying out the assays are also described.

Described herein are bee-safe acaricides that target the varroa mite-specific neuropeptidergic system regulated by proctolin, and methods of use. The acaricides comprise a peptide analog or peptidomimetic of varroa mite proctolin for selective targeting of this pest in a bee colony. The compounds are also effective against other pests, such as ticks. The peptide analog or peptidomimetic generally comprises one or two amino acid residue substitutions or insertions. Also described herein are methods of screening compounds for activity on a proctolin receptor.

This invention concerns various methods of using labeled HSP90 inhibitors to improve treatment of cancer patients with HSP90 inhibitors, including ex vivo and in vivo methods for determining whether a tumor will likely respond to therapy with an HSP90 inhibitor.

The present invention relates to methods for identifying markers for systemic sclerosis (also scleroderma; SSc) and to the markers identified with the aid of this method, which can differentiate between SSc and other autoimmune diseases on the one hand and between different SSc subgroups on the other hand. The invention also relates to panels, diagnostic devices and test kits which comprise these markers, and to the use and application thereof, for example for the diagnosis, prognosis and therapy control of SSc. The invention also relates to methods for screening and for validating active substances for use in SSc.

This invention relates to novel compositions comprising analogs of naturally occurring polypeptides, wherein the analog comprises an α-amino acid and at least one β-amino acid. Administration of the compositions may be used for effecting treatment or prevention of a plurality of disease states caused by dysfunctional biochemical or biological pathways. The compositions and methods of this invention are particularly useful to identify novel therapeutic modulators of in-vivo receptor activity with extended half-lives and relevant bioactivity as compared to the naturally translated polypeptides upon which the analogs are derived.

Screening methods as well as kits for identifying modulators of hydroxysteroid (17-beta) dehydrogenase (HSD17B) family member proteins, such as HSD17B13, are provided. The methods comprise screening molecules for their capacity to modulate the HSD17B family member protein, including inhibiting the HSD17B family member protein, as measured by substrate depletion, product concentration from the HSD17B family member protein substrate conversion or NADH concentration, levels of labeled substrate, luciferin light emission, or combinations thereof. Inhibitors of HSD17B family member proteins identified through the screening methods may be used to treat liver diseases, disorders, or conditions in which the HSD17B family member protein plays a role.

The present disclosure provides a high-throughput screening system and method for identification of novel drugs and drug targets. The method enables large-scale analysis of interactions between allogeneic pairs of target cells and immune cells by using an immune-bridge protein, library of guide RNA, and/or 3D tumor model.

Disclosed herein is a chemo-proteomic probe for labelling and monitoring a live microbe interacting with a host cell and for qualitative and quantitative analyses of those proteins involved during a microbe infects the host cell. This probe comprises a functional group for conjugating to a surface protein of a live microbe under a physiological condition; a photo-reactive group for covalent cross-linking to an interacting cell protein of a host; and a tag for isolating the cross-linked complex of the surface protein of said live microbe and the interacting protein of a host cell for qualitative and quantitative proteomics analyses. The probe may further comprise a visualization tag. This technology takes advantage of the high throughput feature of mass spectrometry analysis and combines it with a uniquely designed chemistry to achieve high efficient isolation and analysis of host cell proteins interacting with a pathogen at different stages of an infection.