Disclosed herein are compositions and methods for treating and preventing a disease or condition characterized by aberrant fibroblast proliferation and extracellular matrix deposition in a tissue of a subject in need thereof. The particular disease or condition can be fibrosis, specifically, radiation-induced fibrosis. The method for treating or preventing the disease or condition can include administering to the subject an effective amount of a composition that inhibits Fgr, a non-receptor tyrosine kinase.

Arrays of single molecules and methods of producing an array of single molecules are described. Arrays with defined volumes between 10 attoliters and 50 picoliters enable single molecule detection and quantitation.

The present invention relates to a biomarker set for diagnosing breast cancer comprising two or more protein markers of: apolipoprotein C1, apolipoprotein (a), neural cell adhesion molecule L1-like protein, carbonic anhydrase 1, and fibronectin; a method for detecting the biomarker set in a blood sample through a multiple reaction monitoring; a kit for diagnosing breast cancer comprising antibodies specific to each of the proteins of the biomarker set; and a method for detecting proteins of the marker set in a blood sample through an antigen-antibody binding reaction. The method for detecting the protein marker set in a blood sample by the MRM method or antigen-antibody binding reaction and the diagnostic kit can provide very high accuracy and sensitivity in comparison with the diagnosis method using a single marker and can very conveniently diagnose breast cancer using blood from patients, thereby being effectively used for early diagnosis of breast cancer.

The present disclosure discloses a technique for quantitative detection of ?-galactosidase (?-GAL) based on surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), including the following steps: a. taking 180 ?L of each of a 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl ?-D-galactoside (BCIG) solution, a ?-GAL solution, and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO); b. preparing a plurality of ?-GAL samples with different activities in advance; c. adding an equal volume of a colloidal gold nanoparticle dropwise to each of the plurality of standard solutions with different activities, and conducting SERS; d. mixing a seawater sample to be tested with BCIG, incubating a resulting mixture to allow a reaction, adding DMSO and a colloidal gold nanoparticle, and directly detecting SERS signals of a product and the DMSO; and e. comparing the SERS signals obtained in step d with the standard curve to obtain an activity of the seawater sample to be tested.

The invention provides protein-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles comprising magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) to which a lactose-binding protein or enzyme has been immobilized. The protein-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles are particularly suitable for separating lactose from a lactose-containing solution, such as milk, cheese, yoghurt, flavored milk or the like. The protein-functionalized MNPs can be added to the lactose-containing solution and be allowed to bind to the lactose in the solution. The MNPs, to which the lactose is bound, can then be magnetically removed from the solution, e.g. by applying an external magnetic field.

Conjugates of 2,3-dihydroxynaphthalene and its derivatives with enzyme cleavable groups are chromogenic substrates that form coloured compounds when complexed with metal ions, e.g. iron ions, on cleavage by enzymes, and are useful in microbial detection and identification. The cleavage products form purple or red-brown coloured complexes, that can easily be observed by the naked eye. Microbes can be grown in the presence of the substrates and the metal salts that provide the metal ion for complexing with the 2,3-dihydroxynaphthalene product. Substituents in the naphthalene ring may affect the solubility of the substrates and also the diffusibility and colour of the metal complexes. Some of the substrates yield soluble complexes on cleavage and are of particular value in liquid growth media. Other substrates produce less soluble complexes that are more suitable for use in solid agar media.

Some substrates are new compounds, such as those having the general formula II

##STR00001## wherein one of the following applies i) m=0, R.sup.4=R.sup.5=Z.sup.1=H, Y.sup.1 is selected from the group consisting of D-glucuronyl and D-ribofuranosyl; ii) m=2, each R.sup.6 is Br, R.sup.4=R.sup.5=H or Br, Z.sup.1=H, Y.sup.1 is glycosyl or phosphate; iii) m=1, R.sup.6 is SO.sub.3X, X is H or M.sup.+ wherein M.sup.+ is an alkali metal cation or a non-metal cation, Y.sup.1 is glycosyl and R.sup.4=R.sup.5=Z.sup.1=H; iv) m=0, R.sup.4=NO.sub.2, R.sup.5=Z.sup.1=H, Y.sup.1=glycosyl.

Methods of synthesising the substrates are described.

The present invention relates to a prebiotic composition comprising a galacto oligosaccharide (GOS) produced from Lactobacillus plantarum, wherein the GOS acts as a selective growth medium for a chosen Lactobacillus plantarum probiotic bacterial strain, and wherein the GOS is substantially the same as the form produced by reverse -galactosidase reaction in the chosen probiotic bacterial strain. The present invention also relates to methods of producing GOS and related composition incorporating the GOS.

Disclosed are methods for detecting and quantitatively measuring a binding property of a compound to a target macromolecule, wherein the target macromolecule is subject to denaturation and is linked to a labeling peptide, such as a short enzyme fragment. The method uses a fluid mixture comprising (i) a chimeric molecule comprising a target macromolecule linked to the labeling peptide, wherein the target macromolecule may be a chimeric protein expressed by and within an intact viable cell and (ii) a compound being measured for binding to the target macromolecule, wherein said target macromolecule is subject to denaturation. After allowing for binding of the compound (e.g. a small molecule inhibitor of the target macromolecule), one detects a signal from the labeling peptide, such as by enzyme fragment complementation. This signal indicates a differential between denatured and non-denatured target macromolecules and thereby indicates a differential between target macromolecules not bound to the compound and target macromolecules bound to the compound, respectively.

The present disclosure provides method of detecting senescent cells in a cell sample and methods of treating a disease, disorder, or condition associated with senescence in a subject by administering at least one senolytic agent to the subject.

Provided herein are biochip, system and method for detection of a marker molecule in a sample, the biochip including one or more chambers, each chamber containing a synthetic biosensor module and a detection module, wherein the synthetic biosensor module comprises a genetically modified bacteria expressing a receptor capable of binding the marker molecule, and a reporter gene, wherein expression of the reporter gene is induced by the binding of the marker molecule to the receptor; and wherein the detection module produces an output signal indicative of presence of the marker molecule in the sample.