The present invention provides preparations of MSCs with important therapeutic potential. The MSC cells are non-primary cells with an antigen profile comprising less than about 1.25% CD45+ cells (or less than about 0.75% CD45+), at least about 95% CD105+ cells, and at least about 95% CD166+ cells. Optionally, MSCs of the present preparations are isogenic and can be expanded ex vivo and cryopreserved and thawed, yet maintain a stable and uniform phenotype. Methods are taught here of expanding these MSCs to produce a clinical scale therapeutic preparations and medical uses thereof.

A peptide that can be used as an imaging probe for GLP-1R is provided. In an embodiment, a polypeptide is represented by the following formula (3); TABLE-US-00001 (Sequence ID No. 3) Xaa.sub.1-Leu-Ser-Lys-Gln-Met-Glu-Glu-Glu-Ala-Val-Arg- Leu-Phe-Ile-Glu-Trp-Leu-Lys-Asn-Gly-Gly-Pro-Ser- Ser-Gly-Ala-Pro-Pro-Pro-Ser (3) where Xaa.sub.1 represents an aspartic acid in which a YX group binds to an -amino group, X includes a chelating site and a radioactive metal nuclide chelated by the chelating site, the chelating site being diethylenetriaminepentaacetic dianhydride (DTPA) or 1,4,7-triazacyclononnane-N,N,N-triacetic acid (NOTA), and Y represents a linker including a group selected from the group consisting of CH.sub.2(C.sub.6H.sub.4), NHC(S), NH(CH.sub.2).sub.5C(O), and a combination thereof.

Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) targeted compounds having formula (I), nanoclusters formed thereof, pharmaceutical compositions comprising a plurality of these compounds, and methods for treating and detecting cancers in a subject are described herein.

Embodiments relate to an ophthalmology microscopy-system and a method of operating an ophthalmology microscopy-system which allow for an at least partial or full removal of liquids and gels used in ophthalmology for application in an eye of a patient in an particularly efficient way. Further embodiments relate to a product such as a liquid or a gel usable for an application in an eye of a patient, wherein the product has a high transmittance and, nevertheless, may be made visible particularly well.

Compounds that are PSMA ligands, pharmaceutical compositions comprising these compounds, methods for treating and detecting cancers in a subject, methods for identifying cancer cells in a sample are described herein. Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is a 120 kDa protein expressed in prostate tissues and was originally identified by reactivity with a monoclonal antibody designated 7EII-C5 (Horoszewicz et al., 1987, Anticancer Res. 7:927-935; U.S. Pat. No. 5,162,504). PSMA is characterized as a type II transmembrane protein sharing sequence identity with the transferrin receptor (Israeli et al., 1994, Cancer Res. 54:1807-1811).

The present invention provides amphiphilic telodendrimers that aggregate to form nanocarriers characterized by a hydrophobic core and a hydrophilic exterior. The nanocarrier core may include amphiphilic functionality such as cholic acid or cholic acid derivatives, and the exterior may include branched or linear poly(ethylene glycol) segments. Nanocarrier cargo such as hydrophobic drugs and other materials may be sequester in the core via non-covalent means or may be covalently bound to the telodendrimer building blocks. Telodendrimer structure may be tailored to alter loading properties, interactions with materials such as biological membranes, and other characteristics.

Disclosed are capped abellaite (NaPb.sub.2(CO.sub.3).sub.2OH), hydrocerussite (2PbCO.sub.3Pb(OH).sub.2), lead (II) carbonate (PbCO.sub.3), lead (II) tungstate (PbWO.sub.4), bismuth oxide (Bi.sub.2O.sub.3), and combinations thereof nanoparticles that are dispersed within an aqueous gelling solution to produce stable gels and function as an injectable contrast agent for vascular imaging. The contrast agent has good radioopacity, is inexpensive to produce, and is safe to handle. This provides a new method to image the fine vasculature of biological systems.

Disclosed are compositions comprising polymeric nanoparticles and methods of using the same. The polymeric nanoparticles can be conjugated with a targeting ligand that is a substrate for a solid tumor-specific cell protein. The polymeric nanoparticles can also comprises an imaging compound and/or a therapeutic agent encapsulated in the hydrophobic interior of the nanoparticle. A cancer therapeutic composition comprising the nanoparticle is also disclosed. The disclosed nanoparticles can be used to target and deliver imaging and/or therapeutic compounds to cancer cells, thereby identifying and/or treating a solid tumor cell target. Methods for treating cancer, such as lung cancer, using the polymeric nanoparticles are also disclosed.

The present invention discloses compositions and methods for clinical imaging. In particular, these compositions and methods provide improvements to cardiovascular imaging. Such improvements are drawn to the creation and use of polymer-based microbubbles comprising metal nanoparticle additives that provide contrast images of highly improve resolution when compared to conventional lipid based microbubbles. For example, the compositions and methods may be used for dark field X-ray scattering contrast images for angiography.

A method of detecting migration of tumor cells is provided by implanting in a region of tumor cells one or more implants having a matrix material of a biocompatible and biodegradable polymer, and a plurality of nanoparticles dispersed within the matrix material and functionalized to bind tumor cells. Nanoparticles bound to the tumor cells that have migrated out of the region can be detected by various imaging modalities. The implant can be in the shape of a brachytherapy spacer or radiotherapy fiducial maker or can be a coating on a brachytherapy spacer or fiducial marker. A method of treating cancer is provided by implanting one or more brachytherapy spacers or fiducial markers including the matrix material and an anti-cancer therapeutic agent dispersed within the matrix material.