The present invention relates a simple method for evaluating free eukaryotic cell nuclei for biomarkers of DNA damage and/or transcription factor activation, activity, or expression levels and/or epigenetic modifications to chromatin or chromatin-associated factors. The invention also teaches useful strategies for combining nuclear biomarkers into a matrix of endpoints that are capable of elucidating genotoxicants' primary mode of DNA-damaging activity. Kits for conducting methods according to the invention are also described.

The invention provides seminal computational approaches utilizing data from non-rare cells to detect rare cells, such as circulating tumor cells (CTCs). The invention is applicable at two distinct stages of CTC detection; the first being to make decisions about data collection parameters and the second being to make decisions during data reduction and analysis. Additionally, the invention utilizes both one and multi-dimensional parameterized data in a decision making process.

Methods are provided for selecting aptamers that are specific to a target of interest from amongst a library of potential aptamer sequences. Aptamers disclosed can be used to detect and/or characterize biological entities of interest, e.g. microvesicles and/or surface antigens. Further disclosed are biomarkers that can be used for diagnosing different disorders including different types of cancer.

The present disclosure in one aspect provides technologies for detection of prostate cancer, e.g., early detection of prostate cancer. In another aspect, technologies provided herein are useful for selecting and/or monitoring and/or evaluating efficacy of, a treatment administered to a subject determined to have or susceptible to prostate cancer. In some embodiments, technologies provided herein are useful for development of companion diagnostics, e.g., by measuring tumor burdens and changes in tumor burdens in conjunction with therapeutics. In some embodiments, technologies provided herein are useful for development of companion diagnostics, e.g., by identifying biomarkers in subjects' bodily fluid samples (e.g., blood samples) that are associated with therapeutic response.

Systems and methods for identifying molecules that are biologically active against a disease, where the method can comprise culturing a first mammalian cell population under organoid formation conditions in the presence of a test molecule to obtain a first organoid, wherein the first mammalian cell population, when cultured under the organoid formation conditions in the absence of the test molecule, results in an organoid with a disease phenotype; imaging the first organoid following exposure to the test molecule; analyzing one or more images of the first organoid using a neural network that has been trained to assign a probability score of disease or non-disease ranging between 0% and 100%; assigning the first organoid a probability score ranging between 0% and 100%; wherein the test molecule is biologically active against the disease if the probability score of the first organoid is greater than a cutoff probability score of non-disease or lower than a cutoff probability score of disease.

Methods and systems are presented herein for predicting a disease of a subject through a combination of fungal and non-fungal molecular analyte features of a biological sample.

Methods for assessing the risk of autism from the use of live virus-vaccines in neonates and toddlers are disclosed.

The molecules harbored in exosomes play important roles in biological science. A highly desirable goal for exosome research is the rapid, simple, simultaneous tracking and quantification of exosome harbored molecules. Disclosed herein are methods and devices for inducing the release and measurement of biomolecules harbored in exosomes. The disclosed method, Electric Field Induced Release and Measurement (EFIRM) technique, uses an electrical field to simultaneously disrupt exosomes to release the contents and measure the harbored exosomal RNA/proteins. The exosome vesicle contents can be released within minutes. This provides a potential on-site method for the detection of exosome-harbored biomolecules.

Non-invasive method for diagnosing or prognosing Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, or other dementia involving isolating astrocyte-derived exosomes (ADEs) and neuron-derived exosomes (NDEs) from a human biological sample (i.e., plasma, serum, urine or cerebrospinal fluid), analyzing cargo extracts of the ADEs and NDEs to detect at least one specified protein or microRNA biomarker, comparing the levels and activities of detected biomarker(s) to those in control samples to identify a statistically significant difference between the detected biomarker(s) and corresponding biomarker(s) in the control sample to determine presence of Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, or other dementia; and testing effects of drugs on levels and activities of each biomarker, as well as effects of drugs administered to test subjects on levels and activities of each biomarker in ADEs and NDEs from subsequently obtained biological samples.

A method of isolating exosomes includes conducting at least one purification step in the presence of an organic zwitterion having a molecular weight of less than about 350 Daltons, a buffering pK of a negatively charged portion of the organic zwitterion is at least one full pH unit below an operating pH at which the at least one purification step is conducted, and a buffering pK of the positively charged portion of the organic zwitterion is at least one full pH unit above the operating pH.