An in vitro co-culture system comprising cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and cancer cells for producing and maintaining cancer stem cells and uses thereof for identifying agents capable of reducing cancer cell stemness. Also disclosed herein are a paracrine network through which CAFs facilitate production and/or maintenance of cancer stem cells and the use of components of such a paracrine network for prognosis purposes and for identifying cancer patients who are likely to respond to certain treatment.

The present invention provides a compound that can be used for targeted drug delivery, imaging a patient, or diagnosing a subject for a clinical condition which is believed to be associated with overexpression and/or upregulation of CXCR4. In particular, the present invention provides a high affinity CXCR4 selective binding ligand peptide conjugate (PC) of the Formula: P-(L-A).sub.n (I) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and a method for using and producing the same. The high affinity CXCR4 selective binding ligand peptide conjugate (PC) of the invention is useful in diagnosing, treating or imaging a patient. In compound of Formula (I), n is an integer from 1 to the sum of (the total number of amino acid resides in P and the total number of side-chain functional group in the amino acid residue of P); each A is independently a diagnostic agent, a therapeutic agent, or an imaging agent; L is a linker or absent; and P is a high affinity CXCR4 selective binding peptidyl ligand. In particular, the invention provides to a targeted drug delivery or imaging a patient or diagnosing a patient for a disease of which overexpression and/or upregulation of CXCR4 is implicated, such as cancers, HIV infection, and immune disorders. Compositions and kits peptide conjugate of Formula I as well as methods for using and producing peptide conjugate of Formula I are disclosed herein.

The invention provides methods and systems for detecting a biomarker related to AIN in a biological sample, and use thereof alone or as part of a diagnostic index for identifying and treating subjects at risk of AIN.

Provided herein are systems and methods for performing assays. In particular, provided herein are systems and methods for performing sensitive and rapid immunoassays.

The present invention provides, among other things, methods of treating pruritic or inflammatory skin diseases or in disorders, or pruritus associated with a disease or disorder, with an anti-OSMR? antibody, including methods of treating pruritus, in associated with atopic dermatitis, chronic kidney disease-associated pruritus, uremic pruritus or prurigo nodularis, chronic idiopathic pruritus, chronic idiopathic urticaria, chronic spontaneous urticaria, cutaneous amyloidosis, lichen simplex chronicus, plaque psoriasis, lichens planus, inflammatory ichthyosis, mastocytosis and bullous pemphigoid, comprising a step of administering to a subject in need of treatment an anti-OSMR? antibody at a therapeutically effective dose and an administration interval for a treatment period sufficient to improve, stabilize or reduce one or more symptoms of the disease or disorder relative to a control.

Provided herein are methods, kits, systems, and compositions or liquid biopsy yield enhancement.

The present invention provides a compound that can be used for targeted drug delivery, imaging a patient, or diagnosing a subject for a clinical condition which is believed to be associated with overexpression and/or upregulation of CXCR4. In particular, the present invention provides a high affinity CXCR4 selective binding ligand peptide conjugate (PC) of the Formula: P-(L-A).sub.n (I) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and a method for using and producing the same. The high affinity CXCR4 selective binding ligand peptide conjugate (PC) of the invention is useful in diagnosing, treating or imaging a patient. In compound of Formula (I), n is an integer from 1 to the sum of (the total number of amino acid resides in P and the total number of side-chain functional group in the amino acid residue of P); each A is independently a diagnostic agent, a therapeutic agent, or an imaging agent; L is a linker or absent; and P is a high affinity CXCR4 selective binding peptidyl ligand. In particular, the invention provides to a targeted drug delivery or imaging a patient or diagnosing a patient for a disease of which overexpression and/or upregulation of CXCR4 is implicated, such as cancers, HIV infection, and immune disorders. Compositions and kits peptide conjugate of Formula I as well as methods for using and producing peptide conjugate of Formula I are disclosed herein.

Provided herein are methods, kits, systems, and compositions or liquid biopsy yield enhancement.

Methods of determining infection type are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises measuring the amount of TRAIL and/or IP10 no more than two days from symptom onset.

An embodiment of the invention provides a chimeric antigen receptor (C AR) comprising an antigen binding domain specific for FLT3, a transmembrane domain, and an intracellular T cell signaling domain. Nucleic acids, recombinant expression vectors, host cells, populations of cells, antibodies, or antigen binding portions thereof, and pharmaceutical compositions relating to the CARs are disclosed. Methods of detecting the presence of a proliferative disorder, e.g., cancer, in a mammal and methods of treating or preventing a proliferative disorder, e.g., cancer, in a mammal are also disclosed.