The present invention provides an engineered clostridial toxin comprising at least one amino acid modification, wherein said at least one amino acid modification increases the isoelectric point (pI) of the engineered clostridial toxin to a value that is at least 0.2 pI units higher than the pI of an otherwise identical clostridial toxin lacking said at least one amino acid modification. Also provided are corresponding uses of the engineered clostridial toxin in therapy.

The present invention provides a lactoferrin fusion protein having high clinical utility and a production method therefor. The present invention further provides: a lactoferrin fusion protein that retains the biological activity of native lactoferrin while having a significantly extended in vivo life span, and that has more clinical utility than native lactoferrin and recombinant lactoferrin; and a production method therefor. With this fusion protein or a variant thereof, the ability of lactoferrin to bind iron is retained, and therefore at least the important biological activity of lactoferrin that is based on the iron-binding ability is retained. Additionally, this fusion protein or variant thereof has bioavailability and resistance to protease, and thus can exhibit biological activity in vivo over a long period. Furthermore, this fusion protein is not easily broken down by pepsin in the stomach.

The present invention provides a lactoferrin fusion protein having high clinical utility and a production method therefor. The present invention further provides: a lactoferrin fusion protein that retains the biological activity of native lactoferrin while having a significantly extended in vivo life span, and that has more clinical utility than native lactoferrin and recombinant lactoferrin; and a production method therefor. With this fusion protein or a variant thereof, the ability of lactoferrin to bind iron is retained, and therefore at least the important biological activity of lactoferrin that is based on the iron-binding ability is retained. Additionally, this fusion protein or variant thereof has bioavailability and resistance to protease, and thus can exhibit biological activity in vivo over a long period. Furthermore, this fusion protein is not easily broken down by pepsin in the stomach.

The present invention relates to an iron chelator combination, more specifically a combination of a non-iron metal-desferrioxamine B complex and an additional iron chelator, for preventing, inhibiting, reducing or ameliorating iron overload or elevated levels of labile iron.

The present invention relates to an iron chelator combination, more specifically a combination of a non-iron metal-desferrioxamine B complex and an additional iron chelator, for preventing, inhibiting, reducing or ameliorating iron overload or elevated levels of labile iron.

The present invention relates to the formation of gels. In particular, the present invention is directed to a method of forming a cross-linked polymer hydrogel using competitive ligand exchange.

The present invention relates to the field of (bio-)medicine, and more particularly to the treatment of copper-related diseases. Novel means and methods for depleting (excess) copper from organs and/or the circulation are provided. Agents with a high copper binding affinity and stabilized forms thereof are provided, as well as a novel treatment regimen. The means and methods of the present invention are particularly useful for treatment of Wilson Disease, but also for treatment of other conditions.

The invention provides compounds of Formula (I) and Formula (II)

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pharmaceutically acceptable salts, pro-drugs, biologically active metabolites, stereoisomers and isomers thereof wherein the variable are defined herein. The compounds of the invention are useful for treating immunological and oncological conditions.

An object of the present invention is to find a ligand for a DCIR and to search for an agonist and an antagonist for the DCIR.

Specifically, disclosed are: a dendritic cell immunoreceptor agonist containing keratan sulfate-II (KS-II) as an active ingredient; an antibody against dendritic cell immunoreceptor, having a keratan sulfate-II-like dendritic cell immunoreceptor agonism; and an antibody against a dendritic cell immunoreceptor, having a keratan sulfate-II inhibitory dendritic cell immunoreceptor antagonism.

This invention provides a compound having the structure

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wherein , , X, Y, and R.sub.1-R.sub.11 are defined herein. This invention also provides a pharmaceutical composition comprising the above compounds, a method of inhibiting the activity and/or levels of a matrix metalloproteinase (MMP), a method of inhibiting the production of a cytokine in a population of cells, a method of inhibiting the production of a growth factor in a population of cells, and a method of inhibiting NF-B activation in a population of cells.