The present invention relates to empty porous particles having a diameter between 0.1 and 1000 μm, as measured by e.g. SEM, for use in diagnosis, prevention and/or postponement of neurodegenerative diseases, or for prevention and/or postponement of degeneration of neurons and glia. The invention also relates to a method of identifying biomarkers for use in diagnosis.

The present invention relates to the discovery that the expression levels of some RNA molecules, comprising messenger RNA (mRNA), non-coding RNA (ncRNA) and/or microRNA (miRNA), and protein can be used as a diagnostic signature to predict or monitor the bone healing ability in an acutely injured subject or in a chronic nonunion subject. In certain embodiments, the invention relates to methods and compositions useful for differentiating between a nonunion, slow healing, and/or normal healing of a fractured bone and treatment recommendations. The invention further includes a kit comprising biomarker probes for assessing the bone healing ability in an acutely injured subject or in a nonunion subject after receiving therapeutic treatment.

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to antibodies that specifically bind proMyostatin and/or latent Myostatin and uses thereof.

The present invention relates to biomarkers associated with the clinical response to an FGF-18 compound before or during treatment of a cartilage disorder. It relates more particularly to specific proteins present in the blood, serum, synovial fluid or in the urine, which can be used as biomarkers for the diagnosis, pre-treatment of patients and during therapy of cartilage disorders. The invention can be used in predicting the response to an FGF-18 compound treatment, before starting the treatment or during the treatment. It could be used for selecting/identifying subjects to be treated according to specific doses and/or dosing regimens by intra-articular administration of an FGF-18 compound. The use of these biomarkers in diagnostics could result in increased benefit and reduced risk-benefit ratio in subjects.

The present invention relates to a compound for use in a method of reducing the formation of heliocytes causing adhesiogenesis. An in vitro assay for the formation of heliocyte and/or the formation of adhesions is also comprised herein, as well as methods comprising the use of said in vitro assay. It also relates to a pharmaceutical composition for use in a method of reducing the formation of heliocytes comprising the compound mentioned above.

The present invention features compositions and methods featuring CD82 for treating muscular dystrophies and related disorders. In one aspect, the invention provides a method of preserving or increasing muscle function in a dystrophic cell, the method involving contacting the cell with a CD82 polypeptide or a polynucleotide encoding a CD82 polypeptide.

Disclosed are systems and methods for utilizing electronic health record data (EHR) to group patients with diagnoses of a common disease of interested (e.g. Parkinson's disease) into phenotype clusters that share common clusters of other diagnosis codes (in addition to the Parkinson's diagnosis, for example). The phenotype clusters can be processed with genetic data to identify convergent genetic mutations within each phenotype cluster and output phenotypic-genomic clusters. Then, stem cells from the patients (e.g. iPSCs) may be differentiated into a desired cell type within each phenotypic-genomic cluster, and these differentiated cells may be assayed to identify defects in the various tissues types or organoids. Additionally, the differentiated cells can then be tested with candidate agents to determine whether the agents reverse the defective phenotypes identified in the differentiated tissues or organoids.

A method of treating a human having a condition or disease related to a bone defect characterized by at least one of: increased level of an alkaline phosphatase ligand, particularly PPi, PLP, or PEA; and decreased alkaline phosphatase activity, compared to a human without said condition or disease, comprising administering to the human a therapeutically effective amount of a polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, wherein the polypeptide is administered through at least one subcutaneous injection to the human in a frequency of fewer than three times each week.

This invention relates to extracellular vesicles and method of isolated tissue-specific extracellular vesicles from bodily fluids. The invention further relates to methods of using extracellular vesicles for diagnostic applications for detecting and monitoring diseases, conditions, and damage in a subject. The invention also relates to methods of using extracellular vesicles for therapeutic applications for treating diseases, conditions, and damage in a subject.

Disclosed is a method for evaluating the ability of a chemical substance or a chemical composition to prevent muscle fatigue and damage induced by physical exertion in humans by comparing the effect the chemical substance or a chemical composition has on a combination of three biological markers in cultured human primary skeletal muscle cells.