The present invention includes compositions and methods for treating diseases or disorders associated with pathological calcification or pathological ossification. In certain embodiments, the diseases or disorders are selected from the group consisting of Generalized Arterial Calcification of Infancy (GACI), Idiopathic Infantile Arterial Calcification (IIAC), Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament (OPLL), hypophosphatemic rickets, osteoarthritis, calcification of atherosclerotic plaques, PXE, hereditary and non-hereditary forms of osteoarthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, hardening of the arteries occurring with aging, calciphylaxis resulting from end stage renal disease and progeria.

The invention provides a prophylactic agent or therapeutic agent for fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, containing as an active ingredient a binding inhibitor that inhibits interaction between activin and activin A receptor type I (ACVR1), or an expression suppressor that suppresses expression of activin.

The present invention relates to methods of treating and preventing Staphylococcus aureus infection and/or a condition resulting from a S. aureus infection a subject that involves administering a CD11b inhibitor. The present invention further relates to a non-human transgenic animal expressing human CD11b and its use in methods of identifying novel therapeutics for the treatment and prevention of Staphylococcus aureus infection and/or a condition resulting from a S. aureus infection.

The invention provides formulations and methods for ameliorating symptoms associated with metabolic disorders, such as cachexia, hypoglycemia, obesity, diabetes, and the like by administering Zn-.sub.2-glycoproteins or a functional fragment thereof, alone or in combination with additional agents, such as adrenergin receptor agonists, adrenergin receptor antagonists, and/or glycemic control agents.

Compositions and methods of the present invention prevent, inhibit or reduce the toxic effects of proteins and toxins secreted from microbes. A method for neutralizing microbial protein products in a subject comprises administering a composition to the subject, said composition comprising plasma-derived IgM and optionally one or more excipients in a pharmaceutical carrier, wherein the composition is administered in an amount effective to neutralize the microbial protein products.

Formulations and methods for ameliorating symptoms associated with metabolic disorders, such as hypoglycemia, obesity, diabetes, and the like by targeted administration to the oesphagus of a subject of Zn-.sub.2-glycoproteins or a functional fragment thereof, alone or in combination with additional agents, such as adrenergin receptor agonists, adrenergin receptor antagonists, and/or glycemic control agents.

The present invention includes compositions and methods for treating diseases or disorders associated with pathological calcification or pathological ossification. In certain embodiments, the diseases or disorders are selected from the group consisting of Generalized Arterial Calcification of Infancy (GACI), Idiopathic Infantile Arterial Calcification (IIAC), Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament (OPLL), hypophosphatemic rickets, osteoarthritis, calcification of atherosclerotic plaques, PXE, hereditary and non-hereditary forms of osteoarthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, hardening of the arteries occurring with aging, calciphylaxis resulting from end stage renal disease and progeria.

Pharmaceutical compositions and methods of producing them are described. The pharmaceutical composition may include (A) a follistatin protein or a variant thereof, and (B) a fetuin A protein or a fragment or variant thereof, wherein (B) is capable of binding to TGF-, and wherein the total amount of (A) and (B) is greater than 10% of total proteins in the composition. Methods of preparing a secretome composition may include culturing stem cells in a protein-free media comprising trehalose, harvesting supernatant from the sample and replacing the supernatant with a fresh protein-free media comprising trehalose, and combining the harvested supernatant to prepare the secretome composition.

This disclosure relates to a modified oncolytic herpes simplex virus (oHSV) comprising an expression cassette encoding a histidine-rich glycoprotein (HRG), and uses thereof. One promising avenue for the treatment of cancer is oncolytic virotherapy, e.g., oncolytic Herpes Simplex Virus (oHSV) which utilizes genetically modified viruses to selectively target and lyse cancer cells while sparing the normal cells. Oncolytic virotherapy is a safe and effective immunotherapeutic platform for different types of cancers.

The present invention relates to calsequestrin-based metal ion reactive particles and their applications. More specifically, the invention concerns calsequestrin-based metal ion reactive particles, which are prepared by combining bioactive substances frequently used in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics with calsequestrin (CSQ) and then reacting them with metal ions. This invention also relates to the use of these particles as drug delivery carriers, pharmaceutical compositions, or vaccines. The metal ion reactive particles according to the present invention can enhance the in vivo and in vitro stability of bioactive substances, prolong their active duration, increase their half-life in the body, and improve antigen delivery efficiency.