Ophthalmic compositions including compatible solute components and/or polyanionic components are useful in treating eyes, for example, to relieve dry eye syndrome, to protect the eyes against hypertonic insult and/or the adverse effects of cationic species on the ocular surfaces of eyes and/or to facilitate recovery from eye surgery.

The present invention provides compositions and methods of controlling the direction and/or movement of migratory cells. Specifically, the invention is directed to the identification of novel chemorepellents and unimodal fugetaxins, their agonists and antagonists which alter or affect the movement of cells involved in immune, inflammatory or cancerous phenotypes.

Disclosed herein are methods for diagnosing, prognosing and treating muscular dystrophy. Also disclosed are methods of determining the effectiveness of an agent for the treatment of muscular dystrophy. Provided are methods of enhancing muscle regeneration, repair, or maintenance in a subject by administering galectin, such as Galectin-1 and/or Galectin-3 to a subject in need thereof. Also disclosed are methods of increasing or maintaining muscle strength and/or bone density in a subject by administering an effective amount of a Galectin-1 composition, Galectin-3 composition or a combination thereof to the subject in need thereof. Methods of preventing, inhibiting and/or reducing muscle loss and/or bone loss in a subject by administering an effective amount of a Galectin-1 composition, Galectin-3 composition or a combination thereof to the subject in need thereof are disclosed.

Disclosed herein are methods for diagnosing, prognosing and treating muscular dystrophy. The disclosed methods can be used to diagnosis, prognosis or treat a subject with merosin-deficient congenital muscular dystrophy Type 1A (MDC1A), limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD), facioscapulohumeral (FHMD), Beckers muscular dystrophy (BMD) or Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Also disclosed are methods of determining the effectiveness of an agent for the treatment of muscular dystrophy. In an example, a method of diagnosing or prognosing a subject with muscular dystrophy includes detecting expression of Galectin-1 or Galectin-3 in a sample obtained from the subject at risk of having or having one or more signs or symptoms associated with muscular dystrophy, thereby diagnosing or prognosing the subject with muscular dystrophy. Also provided are methods of enhancing muscle regeneration, repair, or maintenance in a subject by administering galectin, such as Galectin-1 and/or Galectin-3 to a subject in need thereof.

Compositions and methods are provided for treating and/or preventing lymphangiogenesis in a subject by using an inhibitor of a galectin-8 protein in an amount effective to inhibit or to modulate an activity of the galectin-8 protein or a portion thereof sufficient to inhibit the lymphangiogenesis associated with cancer, corneal injury, dry eye disease, inflammation, lymphedema, organ rejection or graft rejection.

Disclosed herein are methods for diagnosing, prognosing and treating muscular dystrophy. The disclosed methods can be used to diagnosis, prognosis or treat a subject with merosin-deficient congenital muscular dystrophy Type 1A (MDC1A), limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD), facioscapulohumeral (FHMD), Beckers muscular dystrophy (BMD) or Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Also disclosed are methods of determining the effectiveness of an agent for the treatment of muscular dystrophy. In an example, a method of diagnosing or prognosing a subject with muscular dystrophy includes detecting expression of Galectin-1 or Galectin-3 in a sample obtained from the subject at risk of having or having one or more signs or symptoms associated with muscular dystrophy, thereby diagnosing or prognosing the subject with muscular dystrophy. Also provided are methods of enhancing muscle regeneration, repair, or maintenance in a subject by administering galectin, such as Galectin-1 and/or Galectin-3 to a subject in need thereof.

Devices, compositions, and methods are described which provide a tubular nanostructure or a composite tubular nanostructure targeted to a lipid bilayer membrane. The tubular nanostructure includes a hydrophobic surface region flanked by two hydrophilic surface regions. The tubular nanostructure is configured to interact with a lipid bilayer membrane and form a pore in the lipid bilayer membrane. The tubular nanostructure may be targeted by including at least one ligand configured to bind to one or more cognates on the lipid bilayer membrane of a target cell.

Ophthalmic compositions including compatible solute components and/or polyanionic components are useful in treating eyes, for example, to relieve dry eye syndrome, to protect the eyes against hypertonic insult and/or the adverse effects of cationic species on the ocular surfaces of eyes and/or to facilitate recovery from eye surgery.

A method of modulating immunity in a mammal is provided by modulating Galectin-9 activity in the mammal. Promoting or enhancing immunity may be effected by activating or stimulating Galectin-9 activity in the mammal, such as by administering a Galectin-9 agonist to the mammal. The agonist may be multimeric, soluble PD-L2 or an agonist antibody that binds Galectin-9. Suppressing or preventing immunity may be achieved by inhibiting or blocking Galectin-9 activity in the mammal, such as by administering an antagonist antibody or antibody fragment that binds Galectin-9 or that prevents or inhibits PD-L2 multimerisation and/or binding to Galectin-9. The aforementioned methods may be suitable for preventing or treating a disease, disorder or condition responsive to modulation of Galectin-9 activity. Also provided is a method of designing, screening, engineering or otherwise producing a Galectin-9 agonist, inhibitor or antagonist that may be useful for modulating immunity by modulating Galectin-9 activity.

The present disclosure provides for compositions comprising nucleic acids encoding for fusion proteins of the Tumor Necrosis Factor Super Family Ligands fused to oligomerization domains. Further provided are viral and non-viral vectors for delivery of such compositions. The present disclosure also provides for compositions comprising fusion proteins of the Tumor Necrosis Factor Super Family Ligands fused to oligomerization domains.