Compositions, kits, and methods for the diagnosis, prognosis, and monitoring of bladder cancer in a subject are provided by detecting in a urine sample a combination of biomarkers. In one embodiment of the invention, biomarker panels consisting of individual targets listed in Tables 4 through 10 may be detected. In another embodiment of the invention, multiplex biomarker panels of various composition, but including those biomarkers listed above may be detected.

The invention relates to biomarkers and methods of diagnosing or monitoring bipolar disorder, or a predisposition thereto.

The present invention provides methods and compositions for identifying leukemic stem cells.

The invention relates to the field of medicinal research, cartilage physiology and diseases involving the degeneration of cartilage tissue. More specifically, the invention relates to methods and means for identifying compounds that inhibit catabolic processes in chondrocytes and that decrease the degradation of cartilage and/or ECM. The invention also relates to the compounds that are useful in the treatment of osteoarthritis. The invention also relates to targets, the modulation of which results in a decrease in the degradation of ECM and/or cartilage and decrease inflammation. In addition, the invention relates to compositions and methods for the use thereof in treating conditions that are characterized by the degradation of ECM and/or cartilage and inflammation.

Disclosed herein is a composition comprising a crosslinked hydrogel; where the hydrogel comprises a polymer having a cleavable bond along a backbone of the polymer, along a substituent that undergoes crosslinking, or along the backbone of the polymer and along the substituent that undergoes crosslinking; where the cleavable bond is operative to be cleaved by an enzyme released in the body of a living being; and a semiconducting quantum dot that emits light in the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.

The methods described herein allow for the classification of patients into groups for receiving optimized radiation treatment based on patient specific biomarker signature. The biomarker signature includes markers that have been shown to correlate with TGF- expression and to be associated with tumor aggressiveness, radioresistance and poor prognosis. The markers play a key role in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition. The methods described herein provide the dual benefits of anti-tumor efficacy plus normal tissue protection when combining TGF- inhibitors with ionizing radiation to treat cancer patients.

This invention relates to compositions and methods for diagnosing and treating concussion/mTBI.

The present invention relates to a genetically encoded FRET-based biosensor to monitor the activity of matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9). MMP-9 is an extracellular acting endopeptidase implicated in both physiological and pathological processes. A genetically encoded FRET biosensor anchored in the cellular membrane allows studying the proteolytic activity of MMP-9 with high spatiotemporal resolution at the exact region of MMP-9 action on the cell. Applicability of the biosensor, both in vitro and in vivo in living cells, has been demonstrated by ratiometric analysis of cleavage of the biosensor by a purified auto-activating mutant of MMP-9.

The invention provides a method of defining the likelihood of a subject having bladder cancer, comprising the steps of: (A) assessing the subject's likelihood of having bladder cancer by: i. identifying at least one sub-population group appropriate to the subject; ii. determining the level of one or more biomarkers selected according to the sub-population group in a sample obtained from the subject; iii. inputting each of the biomarker values into an algorithm to produce an output value; and iv. correlating the output value with the likelihood of the subject having bladder cancer, wherein the sub-population group is selected according to smoking habits, gender, presence/absence of stone disease, history of benign prostate enlargement (BPE) or prescription of anti-hypertensive, anti-platelet and/or anti-ulcer medication, and (B) determining the subject's stratified risk level of serious disease by: v. determining the level of one or more biomarkers specific for one or more risk classifiers defined using Random Forest Classifiers (RFC), logistic regression or another appropriate systems biology or statistical approach in a sample obtained from the subject, vi. inputting each of the biomarker values into an algorithm or algorithms to produce an output value; and vii. correlating the output value with a stratified risk level of underlying serious disease, wherein the likelihood of having bladder cancer is combined with the stratified risk level of having serious disease, wherein the risk of having bladder cancer and/or serious disease is categorized as: high-risk bladder cancer requiring immediate cystoscopy; low-risk bladder cancer requiring urgent cystoscopy; high-risk control requiring close evaluation and further investigation; or low-risk control requiring primary care monitoring.

The present invention provides methods and compositions of prophylaxis for, or for treating, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cancer, arthritis, skin damage, or atherosclerotic plaque rupture in a subject in need thereof, which comprise i) a statin or ii) selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI).