The invention relates to methodologies of obtaining a controlled exposure of an aerosol to a model material. The invention also provides an exposure cap and a system for studying or predicting the interaction between a model material, e.g. a cell, and an aerosolized agent. The controlled exposure of the aerosol to the model material, makes is possible to accurately calculate the mass-balance of the aerosol exposure.

Disclosed is a marker for observing an effect of a compound or a drug on cells in real time. The marker is: 1) an amino acid sequence shown in SEQ No. 1 and/or SEQ No. 2; or 2) an amino acid sequence having a function for observing an effect of a compound or a drug on cells in real time and having at least more than 80%, preferably more than 85%, more preferably 90%, further preferably 95%, and most preferably 99% homology with the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ No. 1 and/or SEQ No. 2. Also disclosed is a method and a kit for observing an effect of a compound or a drug on cells in real time and use thereof

This invention relates to methods of identifying, synthesizing, optimizing and profiling compounds that are inhibitors or activators of proteins, both naturally occurring endogenous proteins as well as certain variant forms of endogenous proteins, and novel methods of identifying such variants. The method accelerates the identification and development of compounds as potential therapeutically effective drugs by simplifying the pharmaceutical discovery and creation process through improvements in hit identification, lead optimization, biological profiling, and rapid elimination of toxic compounds. Implementation results in overall cost reductions in the drug discovery process resulting from the corresponding increases in efficiency.

The present invention provides methods of treating Alport syndrome in a subject by the administration of an agent that blocks the activation of RAC1/CDC42 members of the rho family of small GTPases. Such agents include, but are not limited to, the endothelin receptor antagonists such as bosentan and letairis and neutralizing antibodies to endothelin-1. Such administration prevents invasion of the glomerular capillary tufts by mesangial lamellipodial/filopodial processes, blocks mesangial process invasion, abrogates the deposition of laminin 211 in the GBM, and prevents the activation of maladaptive expression of proteins known to contribute to glomerular disease progression.

A system for assaying forces applied by cells includes an optically transparent substrate comprising a soft material having a Young's modulus within the range of about 3 kPa to about 100 kPa. An array of molecular patterns is disposed on a surface of the optically transparent substrate, the molecular patterns include fluorophore-conjugated patterns adherent to cells. The system includes at least one light source configured to excite the fluorophore-conjugated patterns and an imaging device configured to capture fluorescent light emitted from the fluorophore-conjugated patterns. Dimensional changes in the size of the patterns are used to determine contractile forces imparted by cells located on the patterns.

Devices for detecting particle sizes and distributions using focused light scattering techniques, by passing a sample through a focused beam of light, are disclosed. In one embodiment, the devices include one or more lasers, whose light is focused into a narrow beam and into a flow cell, and dispersions are passed through the flow cell using hydrodynamic sample injection. In another embodiment, a plurality of lasers is used, optionally with hydrodynamic sample injection. Particles pass through and scatter the light. The scattered light is then detected using scatter and extinction detectors, and, optionally, fluorescence detectors, and the number and size of the particles is determined. Particles in the size range of 0.1 to 10 m can be measured. Using the device, significantly smaller particles can be detected than if techniques such as EQELS, flow cytometry, and other conventional devices for measuring biological particles.

The invention relates to methodologies of obtaining a controlled exposure of an aerosol to a model material. The invention also provides an exposure cap and a system for studying or predicting the interaction between a model material, e.g. a cell, and an aerosolized agent. The controlled exposure of the aerosol to the model material, makes is possible to accurately calculate the mass-balance of the aerosol exposure.

The following disclosure generally relates to methods of culturing podocytes in vitro. The cultures can be used for drug screening (such as medium or high throughput drug screening), and for studying molecular pathways involved in glomerular diseases. The disclosure also provides methods for analyzing the healthiness of podocytes in a cell culture. The disclosure also relates to diagnosis of kidney diseases.

The present invention provides a method of identifying a metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patient with an improved response to taxane therapy compared to androgen receptor (AR) targeted therapy comprising (a) performing a direct analysis comprising immunofluorescent staining and morphological characterization of nucleated cells in a blood sample obtained from the patient to generate circulating tumor cell (CTC) data, wherein the analysis comprises detecting the presence of an Androgen Receptor Variant 7 (AR-V7) in said cells, and (c) evaluating the CTC data to identify a mCRPC patient with an improved response to taxane therapy compared to ARS-directed therapy therapy.

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.