The present disclosure provides peptides and constructs that inhibit mitochondrial fission, and compositions comprising the peptides or constructs. The present disclosure provides methods of reducing abnormal mitochondrial fission in a cell. Also provided are methods for designing and validating mitochondrial fission inhibitor constructs and peptides, including but not limited to, evaluating the effects of the constructs and peptides on binding of dynamin-1-related protein (Drp1) GTPase activity, Drp1 to mitochondrial fission 1 protein (Fis1), reduction of mitochondrial damage, reduction in cell death, inhibition of mitochondrial fragmentation in a cell under pathological conditions, and reduced loss of neurites in primary dopaminergic neurons in a Parkinsonism cell culture.

The present invention provides, inter alia, methods for identifying a candidate agent that may be effective to treat or ameliorate an effect of a neurodegenerative disease in a subject. These methods include: (a) contacting a wildtype neuron and a mutant neuron with a stressor which is effective to accelerate the degeneration of the mutant neuron; (b) further contacting the wildtype neuron and the mutant neuron from step (a) with a candidate agent; and (c) determining whether the candidate agent lowers a wildtype to mutant survival ratio or increases both wildtype and mutant neuron survival.

Aspects of the disclosure relate to compositions and methods for the diagnosis and/or treatment of certain neurodegenerative diseases, for example those diseases associated with repeat-associated non-ATG (RAN) translation proteins, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). In some embodiments, the disclosure relates to identifying a subject having a RAN protein-associated disease by detecting expression or activity of repeat-associated non-ATG (RAN) translation proteins (e.g., RAN proteins). In some embodiments, the disclosure relates to methods of treating a RAN protein-associated disease by administering to a subject in need thereof an agent that reduces expression or activity of RAN proteins.

A method, comprising the steps of providing a sample containing contaminating nucleoside diphosphates and/or nucleoside triphosphates, such as ATP and/or ATP analogues including deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates; reducing the amount of the contaminating nucleoside diphosphates and/or nucleoside triphosphates in the sample with an apyrase enzyme, wherein said apyrase enzyme is a Shigella flexneri apyrase; and performing an analysis of the sample, wherein said analysis comprises an assay that would have been affected by the contaminating nucleoside diphosphates and/or nucleoside triphosphates had they not been reduced in the reduction step.

Provided are an aptamer specifically binding to KRAS protein, and a method of using the same. An aptamer of one aspect has excellent binding affinity to KRAS, which is a major factor regulating a cell growth signaling system in vivo, to inhibit binding between KRAS mutant in cancer cells and a Raf-1 kinase protein which is a downstream protein constituting the cell growth signaling system, thereby effectively suppressing cancer cell growth and cancer development. Further, the aptamer may specifically bind to KRAS in cancer cells, and thus may be widely applied to a pharmaceutical composition for treating or preventing cancer, a diagnostic agent, a reagent, etc.

Disclosed is an isolated or purified T cell receptor (TCR) having antigenic specificity for an HLA-A11-restricted epitope of mutated Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) (KRAS.sub.7-16), Neuroblastoma RAS Viral (V-Ras) Oncogene Homolog (NRAS), or Harvey Rat Sarcoma Viral Oncogene Homolog (HRAS). Related polypeptides and proteins, as well as related nucleic acids, recombinant expression vectors, host cells, populations of cells, and pharmaceutical compositions are also provided. Also disclosed are methods of detecting the presence of cancer in a mammal and methods of treating or preventing cancer in a mammal.

The present disclosure pertains to compositions with reduced presence of host-cell proteins and methods of making such compositions. In particular, it pertains to compositions methods of making compositions with reduced presence of host-cell proteins from a host-cell.

The present disclosure provides methods, kits, and compositions for detecting subject anti-HCV antibodies in a sample using NS3 capture peptides. In certain embodiments, at least two NS3 helicase (NS3h) capture peptides and at least two conjugate peptides (e.g., NS3h conjugate peptides) are employed together, which allows for a broad dynamic range of subject antibody detection in a one-step type assay. In other embodiments, methods are provided of detecting NS3-specific subject antibodies without the use of a reducing agent. In some embodiments, NS3-specific subject antibodies are detected with a ‘double shot’ of NS3 conjugate peptide (e.g., conjugate peptide added to a sample both before and after washing).

The present invention provides compositions and methods based on genetic polymorphisms that are associated with coronary heart disease (particularly myocardial infarction), aneurysm/dissection, and/or response to drug treatment, particularly statin treatment. For example, the present invention relates to nucleic acid molecules containing the polymorphisms, variant proteins encoded by these nucleic acid molecules, reagents for detecting the polymorphic nucleic acid molecules and variant proteins, and methods of using the nucleic acid molecules and proteins as well as methods of using reagents for their detection.

Methods for treatment and diagnosis of pervasive developmental disorders in humans are described.