The present invention relates to a method for diagnosing neurodegenerative processes in the CNS, such as Alzheimer's disease, by measuring syndecan-3 expression from monocytes isolated from the systemic circulation with antibodies and ligands specific to any portion of the 442 amino acid long protein core of syndecan-3.

Disclosed herein are methods and compositions useful in diagnosing, prognosing, monitoring, and treatment of neurological disorders. The markers are syndecan-1, syndecan-4, thrombomodulin, plasmalemmal vesicle-associated protein, E-selectin, and VE-cadherin. These markers can be used alone or in combination.

Described are a number of aptamers that are specific to bind with peptidoglycan (“PGN”) with specificity over counter-targets lipopolysaccharides (“LPS”) and lipoteichoic acid (“LTA”), and associated methods.

Methods of quantification, isolation, and characterization of exosomes are provided. Exosomes can be quantified by contacting a sample with a capture bead comprising a bead and a first binding agent, and a second binding agent. The first binding agent binds to a first biomolecule in the exosomes to produce a first complex and the second binding agent binds to a second biomolecule in the exosomes of the first complex to produce a second complex. The first complexes and the second complexes are quantified based on a detectable signal conjugated to the second binding agent. A microwell or a droplet generation is utilized to quantify the first complexes and the second complexes. Quantifying the exosomes is used to diagnose a cancer in a subject. In such methods, the first and the second binding agents bind to cancer biomarkers present in the exosomes.

The present invention provides a cancer stem cell elimination agent containing a substance that suppresses an expression or function of SDC4, a method for detecting or sorting a cancer stem cell in a cancer cell population, including using an expression of SDC4 as an index, and the like.

The present invention provides compositions and methods for identifying subjects suffering from dry eye that can be treated by topical administration of a composition comprising lacritin or a bioactive fragment thereof. The application discloses in part that a ˜90 KDa deglycanated form of syndecan-1 is abundant in tears of normal individuals but not individuals suffering from dry eye, whereas a ˜25 kDa syndecan-1 fragment is detectable in dry, but not normal tears.

The present invention relates to the field of myocardial injury. More specifically, the present invention provides methods and compositions useful in the diagnosis, prognosis and/or assessment of myocardial injury. In a specific embodiment, a method comprises the steps of (a) diagnosing a subject as having myocardial injury based on the statistically significant over expression of one or more markers described herein compared to a baseline value, wherein the markers are measured in a biological sample obtained from the subject; and (b) treating the subject with one or more of an anti-thrombolysis agent, coronary bypass surgery or angioplasty.

Therapeutic and diagnostic methods are provided, which methods relate to the expression of calreticulin on cancer cells and hematopoietic cells.

Embodiments of the present invention provide antibodies, antigen binding portions thereof, and other polypeptides (e.g., CARs), that specifically bind to CSPG4, an antigen expressed on cancer cells. Monoclonal antibodies, antibody-drug conjugates, and/or CAR-T-cells that specifically bind to CSPG4 positive cancer cells are also provided.

The present invention discloses a method for determining the efficacy of GPC3-targeting drug therapy for cancer in a patient before the start of GPC3-targeting drug therapy or a patient or determining the continuation of GPC3-targeting drug therapy for a patient, including monitoring a concentration of free GPC3 in a biological sample isolated from the patient before the start of GPC3-targeting drug therapy and/or the patient treated with the GPC3-targeting drug therapy, wherein when the concentration of free GPC3 is a predetermined value, the efficacy of the GPC3-targeting drug therapy is determined or the continuation of the GPC3-targeting drug therapy is determined. The present invention also discloses a GPC3-targeting drug or a preparation which is to be further administered to a patient for which the efficacy of the GPC3-targeting drug therapy has been determined or the continuation of the GPC3-targeting drug therapy has been determined.