The present invention provides a method for highly sensitively and highly specifically detecting a kidney cancer. According to the present invention, there is provided, for example, a method for detecting a kidney cancer in a subject, comprising diluting a urine sample obtained from the subject at a predetermined ratio, and determining whether or not nematodes exhibit attraction behavior toward the diluted urine sample, wherein the predetermined ratio is 200 or more.

The present disclosure provides transgenic nematode systems for assessing function of heterologous genes, their variants and drug discovery. The transgenic nematodes contain a heterologous gene that is inserted via homologous recombination at the native locus replacing and removing the nematode ortholog, wherein expression of the heterologous gene rescues function of the removed nematode ortholog and a transgenic control animal is provided. The heterologous gene may be further modified to provide a variant, such as a human clinical variant, whereby a transgenic test animal is provided. Those transgenic test animals are used in methods to assess function of the heterologous variant and drug screens to find therapeutic candidates reversing deviant activity back to wildtype.

The present invention relates to methods for cancer detection using nematodes or nematodes GPCR receptors.

A method for establishing a biological model on joint toxicity of Caenorhabditis elegans and an application thereof are provided. The method for establishing the biological model includes adding the L1-stage Caenorhabditis elegans to a mixed system of working solution of mycotoxins containing tenuazonic acid and penicillin, K-medium solution and E. coli OP50 to obtain L1-stage Caenorhabditis elegans. The biological model indicates that TeA and PAT have a synergistic effect on the growth, development and reproductive ability of Caenorhabditis elegans, and their toxicity mechanism is related to inducing nematodes and stimulating transcriptional factors of Daf-16 genes. The biological model and detection method are simple to operate and its test period is short.

Microfluidic devices for the rapid and automated processing of sample populations are provided. Described are multiplexer microfluidic devices configured to serially deliver a plurality of distinct sample populations to a sample processing element rapidly and automatically, without cross-contaminating the distinct sample populations. Also provided are microfluidic sample processing elements that can be used to rapidly and automatically manipulate and/or interrogate members of a sample population. The microfluidic devices can be used to improve the throughput and quality of experiments involving model organisms, such as C. elegans.

Compositions and methods for treatment of mitochondrial respiratory chain dysfunction and other mitochondrial disorders are provided. Also disclosed are a number of screening assays having utility for the identification of agents which modulate the phenotype associated with mitochondrial respiratory chain dysfunction.

The present disclosure relates generally to genes and biological pathways involved in the active regulation by mood and stress of life expectancy, in all subjects, and separately by gender. Some of these represent a life switch between suicide and longevity. Disclosed are methods for identifying compounds involved in the modulation of active longevity by mood and stress, in particular compounds that modulate the life switch, and thus, modulate active longevity. Also disclosed are methods for increasing active longevity in a subject in general, and modulating the life switch in a subject with psychiatric disorders in particular. Also disclosed are methods for determining biological age score in a subject in general, and predicting lifespan/time to death from all causes in subjects.

An economical and non-invasive method of using a behavioral response, a chemotaxis response, and/or a neuronal response of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) to screen for and/or detect cancer, such as screen for and/or detect early-stage cancer, in companion animals and humans is provided. Systems and kits using C. elegans to test and/or screen for and/or detect cancer, such as early-stage cancer, in companion animals and humans is also provided.

A cancer analysis system includes, so as to perform an efficient image analysis in a cancer screening test using nematodes: a light source unit that irradiates a plate on which nematodes and a urine sample are plotted, from below; a photographing unit that takes an image of the plate irradiated by the light source unit; and an analyzer that analyzes the image taken by the photographing unit. The analyzer: couples a prescribed number of pixels in the image into a larger number of pixels thereof; and performs a chemotaxis assay of the nematodes based on a time variation of information on a luminous center of gravity of the image.

Microscopic worm culture and observation apparatus (1) comprising a support structure (10), one or more chip holders (3) mounted on the support structure, a pump (P) and a valve system (V), each chip holder configured for holding a microfluidic chip (2) having one or more microfluidic channels (54) and culture chambers (52) therein extending between a pump side coupling (44a) of the microfluidic chip and a reservoir side coupling (44b) of the microfluidic chip. The support structure comprises a reservoirs support platform (7) mounted on a movable table (12), the reservoirs support platform (7) configured for holding a plurality of nutrition reservoirs (5) for containing microscopic worms or nutrients and substances to be tested in a liquid. The chip holder (3) and/or microfluidic chips (2) comprise reservoir side fluidic couplings (26) in the form of hollow tubes extending from the microfluidic chip (2) to a tip (26b) at a free end of the hollow tube, each tip (26b) insertable in a corresponding nutrition reservoir (5). The support structure comprises an enclosure (15) forming a chamber within which the one or more chip holders and the reservoirs support platform is housed, and a temperature control unit (19) and a temperature sensor (23) for control of the temperature within the chamber, the enclosure comprising an openable or removable cover (17) allowing access to the inside of the enclosure.