Polymeric particles are provided for use in therapeutic and/or diagnostic procedures. The particles include poly[bis(trifluoroethoxy)phosphazene and/or a derivative thereof which may be present throughout the particles or within an outer coating of the particles. The particles may also include a core having a hydrogel formed from an acrylic-based polymer. Such particles may be provided to a user in specific selected sizes to allow for selective embolization of certain sized blood vessels or localized treatment with an active component agent in specific clinical uses. Particles of the present invention may further be provided as color-coded microspheres or nanospheres to allow ready identification of the sized particles in use. Such color-coded microspheres or nanospheres may further be provided in like color-coded delivery or containment devices to enhance user identification and provide visual confirmation of the use of a specifically desired size of microspheres or nanospheres.

Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-targeted PAMAM dendrimers (G4-PSMA) and their use for imaging or treating PSMA-expressing tumors or cells are disclosed.

The present invention provides for the surface plasmon-enhancement of long lived luminescent compounds, thereby providing for methods and systems having enhanced and controllable rates of the radiative emission of such relaxation of long lived luminescent compounds. The present invention achieves acceleration of the radiative processes by the interaction of the long lived luminescent compounds with surface plasmons of the metal surfaces.

Cyclooctene conjugates of therapeutic or diagnostic agents have improved aqueous solubility and can release the agents upon contact with a tetrazine-containing biomaterial. The cyclooctene conjugates provide site-selective delivery of agents at the location of the tetrazine-containing biomaterial in a subject. The compositions and methods have applications in the treatment of various diseases or conditions including cancer, tumor growths, and bacterial infections.

In one aspect, the invention relates to polymers, crosslinked polymers, functionalized polymers, nanoparticles, and functionalized nanoparticles and methods of making and using same. In one aspect, the invention relates to degradable polymers and degradable nanoparticles. In one aspect, the invention relates to methods of preparing degradable nanoparticles and, more specifically, methods of controlling particle size during the preparation of degradable nanoparticles. In one aspect, the degradable nanoparticles are useful for complexing, delivering, and releasing payloads, including pharmaceutically active payloads. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention.

Provided herein is a fluorescent probe compound of formula (I):

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as well as methods of using said compound.

A method and apparatus for determining physiological data related to an animal, such as kidney diagnostics data, is provided. The method includes injecting a mixture of a first and a second molecule into an animal (e.g., a human patient), determining a molecular ratio of the molecules, and determining the physiological data based on the molecular ratio. The apparatus includes a number of finger receiving apertures, a light generation circuit, a light detection circuit, a pulse counting circuit, and a user interface.

The present disclosure provides conjugate structures (e.g., polypeptide conjugates) and hydrazinyl-indole compounds used to produce these conjugates. The disclosure also provides methods of production of such conjugates, as well as methods of using the same.

This invention relates to improving delivery of agents to the central nervous system.

This disclosure provides peptides which have an affinity for the focal adhesion targeting (FAT) domain of focal adhesion kinase (FAK). In particular, the peptides are modified and derived from the sequence of the LD2 alpha helical domain of paxillin (e.g., LD2 peptides), the LD4 domain of paxillin (e.g., LD4 peptides), and CD8 peptides. These peptides are capable of blocking an interaction between paxillin and FAK, thereby inhibiting FAK activity related to FAK-paxillin interaction. The invention further provides uses for such peptides as therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and other diseases characterized with FAK activity and/or expression (e.g., fibrosis).