Techniques and systems are disclosed for a bioassay that is an in vitro mimic of peripheral nerve generation using the sensory neurons that innervate the peripheral nervous system. In some embodiments, the techniques may assist in detecting the bioactivity or potency of nerve grafts (e.g., processed, acellular human allografts) for fostering or supporting peripheral nerve regeneration. In various embodiments, techniques comprise affixing a harvested sensory neuron (e.g., a DRG) to a nerve graft segment to form a test construct; culturing the test construct in a medium; analyzing the test construct to indicate the amount of outgrowing peripheral nerve structure; and determining the potency of the nerve graft from a metric derived from the analysis. In some embodiments, techniques and materials may be used to test the effect of a varied test condition on peripheral nerve growth.

The present disclosure relates to a polypeptide recognizing immune cells, the polypeptide includes the following amino acid sequences: (a) an amino acid sequence containing C-terminal fragment sequence EQPDPGAVAAAAILRAILE of human Triokinase/FMN cyclase and its homologous sequence; or (b) an amino acid sequence that is substantially identical to the amino acid sequence described in (a), the substantially identical means 70% or more sequence identity to the amino acid sequence described in (a). The present invention also relates to a nucleic acid sequence encoding the polypeptide; a polypeptide probe used for targeting recognition of immune cells and containing the polypeptide described above and a reporter; a kit containing the probe described above; and, related applications of the polypeptide or probe described above.

Disclosed are methods comprising administering CRISPR technology to a population of cells, wherein the CRISPR technology comprises one or more constructs for expressing a Cas protein, sgRNA against a marker gene, and sgRNA against a target sequence; and performing FACS-based negative selection to establish an enriched cell population of negatively selected cells; wherein the negatively selected cells do not have a marker encoded by the marker gene and do have a mutation in the target sequence. Disclosed are nucleic acid sequences comprising three elements, wherein a first element comprises a nucleic acid sequence that encodes a Cas protein, a second element comprises a nucleic acid sequence that expresses a sgRNA against a cell-surface marker gene, and a third element comprising a nucleic acid sequence that expresses a sgRNA against a target sequence.

The present invention concerns a monoclonal antibody and corresponding hybridoma cells and antigens suitable for isolating fetal cells from maternal blood. The inventive monoclonal antibody reacts with a surface antigen present on fetal red blood cells including their nucleated precursor cells, but not with surface antigens on adult erythroid cell.

The present disclosure is directed to antibody-linked immuno-sedimentation agent, the antibody being linked to a sedimentation agent by a non-antigen binding region of the antibody, and a method of isolating a target from a sample using the antibody-linked immuno-sedimentation agent. The methods involve forming a mixture including a sample with an antibody linked immuno-sedimentation agent and red blood cells under conditions sufficient to form red blood cell rouleaux and allow antibody-antigen binding.

The present invention relates to a two-part device, wherein a first part is an engineered antigen-presenting cell system (eAPCS), and a second part is an engineered TCR-presenting cell system (eTPCS).

The disclosure provides methods for enriching for pancreatic endocrine progenitor cells, such as human pancreatic endocrine progenitor cells, including alpha cell progenitors, beta cell progenitors, delta cell progenitors, PP cell progenitors and epsilon cell progenitors. The disclosure provides mammalian, such as human, Fev.sup.+ pancreatic endocrine progenitor cells, including Fev.sup.+ alpha cell progenitors, Fev.sup.+ beta cell progenitors, Fev.sup.+ delta cell progenitors, Fev.sup.+ PP cell progenitors, and Fev.sup.+ epsilon cell progenitors. The disclosure further provides methods for producing or inducing such cells, including in vitro differentiation methods, and the cells so produced.

The present disclosure discloses an antibody combination for substituting a side scatter signal in mass cytometry hematologic tumor immunophenotyping, including a Lactoferrin antibody and a Lysozyme antibody. The present disclosure also discloses a gating method for mass cytometry hematologic tumor immunophenotyping. The present disclosure also discloses a kit for mass cytometry hematologic tumor immunophenotyping. According to the present disclosure, the Lactoferrin antibody and the Lysozyme antibody are used for the first time, are combined with a CD45 antibody for two-stage gating strategy, and are combined with a mass cytometer to substitute traditional flow cytometry CD45/SSC to distinguish mature granulocytes, monocytes, nucleated red blood cells, lymphocytes, primitive and juvenile cells, and abnormal cell subsets in bone marrow. Combined with the multi-parameter high-throughput characteristics of the mass cytometry, the present disclosure can improve the depth of the current hematologic tumor immunophenotyping.

EphA2 T-cell epitope are provided herein. The epitopes include peptides corresponding to specific fragments of human EphA2 protein containing one or more T-cell epitopes, and conservative derivatives thereof. The EphA2 T-cell epitopes are useful in an assay, such as an ELISPOT assay, that may be used to determine and/or quantify a patient's immune responsiveness to EphA2. The epitopes also are useful in methods of modulating a patient's immune reactivity to EphA2, which has substantial utility as a treatment for cancers that overexpress EphA2, such as renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The EphA2 epitopes also can be used to vaccinate a patient against EphA2, by in vivo or ex vivo methods.

Described are transgenic, non-human animals comprising a nucleic acid encoding an immunoglobulin light chain, whereby the immunoglobulin light chain is human, human-like, or humanized. The nucleic acid is provided with a means that renders it resistant to DNA rearrangements and/or somatic hypermutations. In one embodiment, the nucleic acid comprises an expression cassette for the expression of a desired molecule in cells during a certain stage of development in cells developing into mature B cells. Further provided is methods for producing an immunoglobulin from the transgenic, non-human animal.