The invention features pancreatic islet and pancreatic organoids, and cell cultures and methods that are useful for the rapid and reliable generation of pancreatic islet and pancreatic islet organoids. The invention also features methods of treating pancreatic diseases and methods of identifying agents that are useful for treatment of pancreatic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and pancreatic cancer, using the pancreatic islet and pancreatic organoids of the invention.

Described herein is a novel, mitochondrial encoded, open reading frame, that leads to the production of a new mitochondrial peptide. Residing within the ND-Two subunit, a specific small nucleotide polymorphism disrupts expression of this mitochondrial peptide, and is correlated with an increase in obesity and diabetes, particularly in certain ethnic populations. In vitro administration of the peptide increases insulin secretion, decreases fat accumulation and improves glucose uptake in muscle cell. Antibodies generated against the peptide can be used for detecting peptide deficiency, in addition to SNP detection, supporting diagnostic approaches. In vivo studies further revealed that administration of the peptide improves glucose tolerance, thereby providing a new therapeutic avenue for a novel diabetes therapy and decreases bodyweight, thus serving as a novel obesity therapy. Generation of synthetic analogs further enhance or abrogated activity relative to the natural peptide.

The present invention relates to a method for measuring growth hormone level in a human child, including a method of assessing pituitary-related growth hormone deficiency in a human child as a stand-alone test. The method comprises oral administration of an effective amount of macimorelin to the child, collecting from the child two or up to four post-administration blood samples within a range of about 90 minutes after administration, and determining the level of growth hormone in the samples. The method can be used for diagnosing pituitary-related growth hormone deficiency in a child when the peak level of determined growth hormone in the samples is below a cut-off value.

The present invention is related to a method for diagnosing Niemann-Pick disease in a subject comprising a step a), wherein the step a) comprises detecting a biomarker in a sample from the subject.

Disclosed herein are methods of analyzing a biological sample comprising: separating components of the biological sample via reversed-phase (RP) chromatography to obtain an elute; subjecting the elute to separation via ion-exchange (IEX) chromatography or mixed-mode IEX chromatography; and detecting the separated compounds to determine the components of the biological sample. Also disclosed are devices comprising a reversed-phase (RP) chromatography column in communication with an ion-exchange (IEX) chromatography column or mixed-mode IEX chromatography column, wherein there is no switching valve between the columns.

Provided herein are compounds, compositions, and methods of identifying compounds that neutralize the ability of the cannabinoid receptor type-1 (CB1) agonist 2-arachidonylglycerol (2-AG) in complex with its obligate binding partner adipocyte lipid binding protein (aP2) from agonizing CB1 signaling in peripheral tissues. Further provided herein are methods of treating a disorder associated with dysregulated or abnormal hepatic de novo lipogenesis and/or hepatic selective insulin resistance by inhibiting cannabinoid receptor type-1 (CB1) agonist 2-arachidonylglycerol (2-AG) in complex with its obligate binding partner adipocyte lipid binding protein (aP2) from binding and agonizing CB1.

Methods for treating and differential diagnosis between ACTH-Dependent and ACTH-Independent Cushing's syndrome are disclosed, in which a glucocorticoid receptor antagonist (GRA) is administered to a Cushing's syndrome patient with a basal ACTH level less than about 25 pg/mL. If i) the patients blood ACTH and ii) the patients blood cortisol, or adrenal hormone, or adrenal pre-hormone levels rise, or if the ACTH:cortisol ratio increases, then ACTH-Dependent Cushing's syndrome is diagnosed. If those levels do not rise, or if the ACTH:cortisol ratio decreases, then ACTH-Independent Cushing's syndrome is diagnosed. In some instances, the patient is recovering from surgery to remove an ACTH secreting tumor, and the method described herein is used to determine if the tumor resection was successful or complete. The GRA may be mifepristone, or a non-steroidal GRA having a heteroaryl-ketone fused azadecalin backbone, an octahydro fused azadecalin backbone, a cyclohexyl pyrimidine backbone, or a fused azadecalin backbone.

There are no FDA-approved disease-modifying therapies for GSDs like GSD Ia and GSD Ib. Disclosed herein are compositions for and methods of detecting GSD biomarkers as well as methods of diagnosing GSD, methods of determining the efficacy of a GSD treatment, methods of monitoring metabolic control status, and methods of determining the efficacy of regulating dietary intake of carbohydrates using the disclosed biomarkers.

In some aspects, the disclosure relates to compositions and methods useful for the diagnosis and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as leukodystrophies (e.g., Canavan Disease). In some embodiments, the methods comprise administering to a subject an N-acetylaspartate (NAA)-depleting agent or an N-acetylaspartate (NAA)-depleting agent based upon the subject's metabolic profile.

A method for detecting whether glucose metabolism is abnormal comprises: detecting GPx2 gene expression, GPx2 protein expression or the activity of GPx2 protein in a test body, and making comparisons with GPx2 expression amount of a normal individual, when the GPx2 expression of the individual is significantly lower than that of the normal individual, indicating that the carbohydrate metabolism of the individual is in an abnormal state. Applications of GPx2 in the preparation of a medical composition for the treatment and prevention of type II diabetes.