Disclosed herein is a composition for imaging nerve cells. The composition includes a fluorescent dye; and a viral component including a neurotropic herpes varicellae unable to replicate in nerve cells, a viral protein of a neurotropic herpes varicellae unable to replicate in nerve cells, a capsid of a neurotropic herpes varicellae unable to replicate in nerve cells, or a combination thereof. The fluorescent dye is bound to the viral component to form a dye/viral component complex that is capable of penetrating nerve cells.

Described herein are hybrid nanoparticles that are exosomes loaded with one or more nanoparticle dendrimers. Also included are pharmaceutical compositions including the hybrid nanoparticles and methods of making the hybrid nanoparticles. Also described is a method of treating a human subject by administering to the human subject the above-described hybrid nanoparticles.

The invention provides methods for characterizing cellular physiology by incorporating into an electrically excitable cell an optical reporter of, and an optical actuator of, electrical activity. A signal is obtained from the optical reporter in response to a stimulation of the cell. Either or both of the optical reporter and actuator may be based on genetically-encoded rhodopsins incorporated into the cell. The invention provides all optical methods that may be used instead of, or as a complement to, traditional patch clamp technologies and that can provide rapid, accurate, and flexible assays of cellular physiology.

A pepino mosaic virus (PepMV) carrier comprising a PepMV particle that has been modified to carry an imaging agent or anticancer agent is described. The PepMV carrier can be used in a method of targeting cancer cells and tissue by administering it to a subject. Cancer tissue targeted by the PepMV carrier can be imaged using an imaging agent, or treated using an anticancer agent.

Provided herein are carbohydrate derivatives of general formula (I) bearing a trans-cyclooctene moiety usable in covalently binding active moieties to cell surfaces in vitro and/or in vivo and their use for therapeutic or nontherapeutic purposes. Furthermore, compounds of general formula (II) are used together with the derivatives of general formula (I) in a method of binding active moieties to the cell surface. The compounds may be combined to form a kit for forming a covalent attachment of active moieties to the cell surface.

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The present invention is directed generally to eukaryotic cells comprising single-celled organisms that are introduced into the eukaryotic cell through human intervention and which transfer to daughter cells of the eukaryotic cell through at least five cell divisions, and methods of introducing such single-celled organisms into eukaryotic cells. The invention also provides methods of using such eukaryotic cells. The invention further provides single-celled organisms that introduce a phenotype to eukaryotic cells that is maintained in daughter cells. The invention additionally provides eukaryotic cells containing magnetotactic bacteria.

Compositions comprising a red blood cell (RBC) having non-toxically coupled thereto a nanoparticle having a low shear modulus or low Young's modulus of less than 10 MPa and containing a drug are provided. In one embodiment, the nanoparticles are optionally coated with protein. In another embodiment, the nanoparticle has no cell-specific targeting moiety or tissue-specific targeting moiety or organ-specific targeting moiety associated therewith. Methods of delivering selected drugs to target organs use these compositions both in vivo and ex vivo treatment of disease and for imaging.

A reporter gene that can be administered to an individual such as HIV-BAL-eLuc in order to detect the presence of a virus. A method of detecting the presence of virus in an individual, by administering a reporter gene to the individual, associating the reporter gene with the virus, imaging the individual, and detecting the presence of virus in the individual. A method of determining the efficacy of a treatment for a virus, by administering a reporter gene to the individual receiving treatment for the virus, associating the reporter gene with the virus, imaging the individual, detecting the presence of virus in the individual, and determining if the treatment is effective.

To provide a bacterium-based microrobot which can be specifically targeted to cancer in vivo, the present invention provides a drug delivery system for cancer tissue, comprising a bacterium, and a microbead encapsulated with at least one drug, wherein biotin is bound to a surface of the bacterium and a surface of the microbead is coated with streptavidin.

The present invention relates to compositions and methods for disrupting cancer stromal cell networks using synthetic nanoparticles coated with plasma membranes.