The present invention is a method for detecting at least one disease selected from the group consisting of visceral fat accumulation, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, hypertension and atherosclerosis or a disease two or more of which are combined or detecting onset risk of these diseases, which comprises (a) a step of measuring a ganglioside GM3 in a blood sample derived from a subject, wherein the ganglioside GM3 has a structure represented by the following formula (1).

##STR00001##

[In the formula (1), R.sup.1 represents a glycan constituting the ganglioside GM3, and R.sup.2C(O) represents a fatty acid residue having 16 or more and 24 or less carbon atoms which may have a double bond, and having an OH group as a substituent.]

The present invention provides a method for producing or detecting cardiomyocytes by extracting/detecting cardiomyocytes from a cell population which includes cardiomyocytes using, as an index, positivity of NCAM1, SSEA3, SSEA4 and/or CD340.

Pharmaceutical composition comprising antibodies or antigen binding fragments thereof that bind to globo H, SSEA3, and SSEA-4 are disclosed herein, as well as methods of use thereof. Methods of use include, without limitation, cancer therapies and diagnostics. The antibodies of the disclosure can bind to certain cancer cell surfaces. Exemplary targets of the antibodies disclosed herein can include carcinomas, such as those in brain, skin, bone, lungs, breast, esophagus, stomach, liver, bile duct, pancreas, colon, kidney, cervical, ovarian, and/or prostate cancer.

The present invention provides compositions for the production of an antibody or functional fragment thereof directed against disialoganglioside-GD2. The compositions of the invention include polynucleotides encoding a heavy chain and/or a light chain variable domain that binds to GD2. The invention also provides an isolated antibody or functional fragment thereof and methods of treating or preventing a disease, such as cancer or tumor formation, wherein the antibody or functional fragment includes a variable heavy chain domain and a variable light chain domain that has an amino acid sequence provided herein. The invention further provides a conjugate of an antibody or functional fragment thereof conjugated or recombinantly fused to a diagnostic agent, detectable agent or therapeutic agent, and methods of treating, preventing or diagnosing a disease in a subject in need thereof.

A molecular probe for labeling myelin includes a fluorescent trans-stilbene derivative.

The present disclosure relates to anti-SSEA4 antibodies and bindings fragments thereof comprising specific complementarity determining regions capable of high affinity binding to SSEA4 molecules and SSEA4-associated expressing tumor cells, such as breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, and renal cancer cells. The anti-SSEA4 antibodies and binding fragments induce ADCC or CDC effects in the targeted tumor cells and inhibit and/or reduce the cancer/tumor proliferation. The present disclosure also provides anti-SSEA4 antibodies and binding fragments thereof as a pharmaceutical composition for treating cancer. In addition, the anti-SSEA4 antibodies and binding fragments are useful in the diagnosis of cancers.

This disclosure provides a method for determining male fertility status. The method comprises determining G.sub.M1 localization patterns following induced sperm capacitation, identifying the percentage of various patterns, particularly the ratio of [(AA+APM)/total number of G.sub.M1 localization patterns] and determining if the percentage of certain G.sub.M1 localization patterns in response to induced capacitation is altered. Based on the change in the percentage of localization patterns of certain patterns in response to induced capacitation, alone or in combination with other sperm attributes, male fertility status can be identified.

The present invention is related to an in vitro method for diagnosing Gaucher's disease in a subject comprising a step of a) detecting a biomarker in a sample from the subject, wherein the biomarker is free lyso-Gb1.

We describe a method of monitoring the state of a cell, tissue, organ or organism. The method comprises establishing, for a sample of micro-particles from the cell, tissue, organ or organism, a ratio. The ratio is of a selected polypeptide in microparticles which comprise GM1 gangliosides, preferably which bind to Cholera Toxin B (CTB) (GM1 ganglioside microparticle polypeptide) to the selected polypeptide in microparticles which comprise exposed phosphotidylserine, preferably which bind to Annexin V (Annexin V microparticle polypeptide). The GM1 ganglioside microparticle polypeptide to Annexin V microparticle polypeptide ratio so established may be indicative of the state of the cell, tissue, organ or organism.

A molecular probe for labeling myelin includes a fluorescent trans-stilbene derivative.