Methods to form a surface coating and surface pattern, which are based on adsorption of hydrocarbon chains that can be used with imaging optics to visualize macrophage fusion and multinucleated giant cell formation with living specimens are described.

The invention relates to methods to evaluate in one single assay the biocompatibility of materials based on the simultaneous determination of the phagocytosis, cell activation and cell death produced by said materials, preferably, in peripheral blood or other human cells and proximal fluids. The invention also relates to a kit to perform the method of the invention.

The present invention relates to a method for identifying compounds that are able to modulate the development of certain regulatory T cells which are induced by regulatory macrophages. Since induced regulatory T cells (iTregs) play a crucial role in diseases and pathological conditions, the method is highly suitable for identifying potentially active therapeutics. The method is particularly suitable for the screening of large libraries of candidate drug substances, such as small molecule or antibody libraries.

The present invention relates to a method of culturing primitive-like macrophages from stem cells, a kit when used in the method thereof and uses of the primitive like macrophage for in-vitro disease models and for screening compounds for therapy. One embodied culture method comprises contacting and incubating embryonic stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells with a serum-free culture media comprising a GSK3 inhibitor to differentiate stem cells into cells of the mesoderm lineage, followed by incubation with a culture media comprising Dickkopf-related protein 1 (DKK1) to differentiate the mesoderm into cells of hematopoietic lineage, maturing hematopoietic cells and incubating these cells with a culture media comprising M-CSF to drive differentiation into primitive-like macrophages. Another embodiment comprises incubating the stem cells with serum-free culture media comprising FGF2 and BMP4 to induce differentiation into cells of the mesoderm lineage, followed by incubating the cells with a culture media comprising FGF2, BMP4, Activin A and VEGF to differentiate the cells of the mesoderm lineage into cells of the hematopoietic cell lineage, maturing the cells of the hematopoietic cell lineage and lastly, incubating the matured hematopoietic cells with culture media comprising M-CSF to drive the differentiation of hematopoietic cells into primitive-like macrophages.

The invention provides in part methods of treating cancers of a specific organ or tissue by administering a composition that is antigenically specific for one or more microbes that are pathogenic in the specific organ or tissue in which the cancer is situated.

The present invention provides compositions exhibiting in vivo activity of fibrin in an in vitro setting, in vitro assays comprising such compositions, methods of producing such compositions, and methods of using such compositions and assays. The compositions of the invention include molecules with the biochemical properties of 1) high affinity binding to fibrin receptors and 2) activation of cell-signaling systems comparable to that observed in vivo by fibrin. The fibrin compositions of the invention are compatible both in biochemical assays and cell-based assays, and thus useful for in vitro assays for screening of test agents that modulate cell activation and/or signaling pathways mediated by fibrin or associated with fibrin activity.

A biosensor, including a modified gold electrode and a macrophage RAW264.7 immobilized on the modified gold electrode. The disclosure also provides a method of preparing the biosensor and a method of using the same for evaluation of antioxidant capacity of substances.

The present invention relates to an in vitro method of diagnosing chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) in a subject, said method comprising the steps of: a) Detecting a monocyte population in a biological sample from said subject; b) Quantifying the CD14+/CD16 monocytes in said biological sample; c) Comparing the value of step b) to a reference value; and d) Diagnosing CMML based on said comparison. Preferably, said detecting step a) is performed by an exclusion gating strategy by flow cytometry.

The present invention relates to an in vitro method for identifying a skin wound in an individual as being a non-healing skin wound or healing skin wound, in vitro methods for monitoring the healing of a skin wound in an individual, methods for screening for compounds suitable for modulating skin wound healing, as well as kits related thereto.

An empirical Screen for Anti-infectives using Fluorescence microscopy of IntracellulaR Enterobacteriaceae (SAFIRE) was developed. Using this methodology, a library of small molecules and identified antimicrobials that are cell permeable and non-host-toxic were screened. Inhibitors of bacterial efflux pumps were identified as being implicated in antibiotic resistance and are attractive therapeutic targets for antimicrobials.