Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for -AApeptides, -AApeptide building blocks, methods of making -AApeptides and libraries of -AApeptides, methods of screening the -AApeptide libraries for desired peptidomimetic activity, and the like. The present disclosure also provides for -AApeptides that are inhibitors of A peptide aggregation, methods of inhibiting and disassembling A peptide aggregation, methods of inhibiting the toxicity of A aggregates towards N2a neuroblasotma cells, as well as methods and compounds for treating Alzheimer's disease.

The invention provides a method for detecting one or more biological ligands, where the method generally uses two arrays of biological reagents. The two arrays have two different functionalities: the first array captures the ligands on the array; and the second array delivers detecting reagents to the captured ligands. Use of arrays affords the method high-throughput detection capability; and the use of two different arrays ensures high specificity. The first array has a support structure fixed with a first set of reagents, each at a pre-determined position on the support. The second array has a support structure fixed with a second set of reagents, each at a pre-determined position on the support. The first array contains reagent(s) binding to a ligand, while the second array contains second reagent(s) binding to the same ligand. In preferred embodiments, antibodies are used as reagents, and used in detecting proteins in protein samples.

A biological sample processing apparatus having an enclosure. A plurality of sample processing modules are held by the enclosure. Each sample processing module is configured to hold a removable sample cartridge and to only perform sample processing on a sample within the corresponding removable sample cartridge. Each sample processing module is configured to perform at least one of a plurality of testing processes on the sample within the removable sample cartridge. At least one module in the apparatus is configured to perform nucleic acid amplification and detection.

The invention provides a method of identifying whether a protein target and a compound of interest bind to one another, by exposing the protein target to the compound of interest for a time sufficient to allow binding of the compound of interest to the protein target, treating with a chemical denaturant and assaying the products of the denaturing mixture to determine the proportion of the protein target in its folded state and/or the proportion of the protein target in its denatured state. Suitably, the method is conducted at a substantially constant temperature. A change in the proportion of the protein target in its folded state as compared to a suitable control indicates that the protein target and compound of interest bind to one another.

The present invention provides methods and compositions that can be applied to screening protein-protein interaction networks, screening drug candidates that modulate protein-protein interactions for on- and off-target effects, detecting extracellular targets for which no native S. cerevisiae receptor exists, and re-engineering yeast agglutination in order to answer biological questions about yeast speciation and ecological dynamics

To efficiently analyze interaction and function between proteins, the present invention relates to a method for forming a light-induced protein nanocluster, comprising: an expression vector preparation step of preparing a first expression vector including polynucleotides coding a first fusion protein including a light-induced heterodimer-forming protein and a first self-assembly protein, and a second expression vector including polynucleotides coding a couple protein that forms a homodimer with said light-induced heterodimer-forming protein, or a second fusion protein including said couple protein and a second self-assembly protein; a transformed cell, tissue or individual preparation step of transforming cells, tissues or individuals using said first expression vector and second expression vector; and a light radiation step of radiating light having a wavelength for inducing the formation of heterodimer between said light-induced heterodimer-forming protein and said couple protein, to said transformed cells, tissue or individuals.

The invention provides arrays of compound for use in profiling samples. The arrays include compounds bind to components of the samples at relatively low affinities. The avidity of compounds binding to components of the samples can be increased by forming arrays such that multivalent components of the samples (e.g., antibodies or cells) can bind to more than one molecule of a compound at the same time. When a sample is applied to an array under such conditions, the compounds of the array bind to component(s) of the sample with significantly different avidities generating a profile characteristic of the sample.

The present invention relates to the field of dynamic spectroscopy and more precisely to a method involving dynamic molecules spectroscopy technology designed to determine transitional changes in molecules conformation and assemblies both in physiologic and pathologic conditions. The method comprises in vitro fingerprints of a sample taken under highly controlled temperature in order to obtain precise images of either one or an ensemble of molecular dynamics. Due to its precise information, the method according to the invention allows shortening of the drug discovery stage.

The invention relates to an epitope protection assay for use in diagnosis, prognosis and therapeutic intervention in diseases, for example, involving polypeptide aggregation, such as prion infections. The methods of the invention first block accessible polypeptide target epitope with a blocking agent. After denaturation of the polypeptide, a detecting agent is used to detect protein with target epitope that was inaccessible during contact with the blocking agent. The invention also relates to novel amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-specific epitopes and their uses to make antibodies, and to the novel antibodies and uses thereof.

Compositions and methods are provided for the identification of peptide sequences that are ligands for a T cell receptor (TCR) of interest, in a given MHC context.