The invention provides a novel class of cyanine dyes that are functionalized with sulfonic acid groups and a linker moiety that facilitates their conjugation to other species and substituent groups which increase the water-solubility, and optimize the optical properties of the dyes. Also provided are conjugates of the dyes, methods of using the dyes and their conjugates and kits including the dyes and their conjugates.

The invention provides a method for reducing oxidative damage in a mammal, a removed organ, or a cell in need thereof. The method comprises administering an effective amount of an aromatic cationic peptide. The aromatic cationic peptide has (a) at least one net positive charge; (b) a minimum of three amino acids; (c) a maximum of about twenty amino acids, (d) a relationship between the minimum number of net positive charges (p.sub.m) and the total number of amino acid residues (r) wherein 3 p.sub.m is the largest number that is less than or equal to r+1; (e) a relationship between the minimum number of aromatic groups (a) and the total number of net positive charges (p.sub.t) wherein 3a or 2a is the largest number that is less than or equal to p.sub.t+1, except that when a is 1, p.sub.t may also be 1; and (f) at least one tyrosine or tryptophan amino acid.

The disclosure provides aromatic-cationic peptide compositions and methods of preventing or treating disease using the same. The methods comprise administering to the subject an effective amount of an aromatic-cationic peptide to subjects in need thereof.

The invention described herein pertains to the diagnosis, imaging, and/or treatment of pathogenic cell populations. In particular, the invention described herein pertains to the diagnosis, imaging, and/or treatment of diseases caused by PSMA expressing cells, such as prostate cancer cells, using compounds capable of targeting PSMA expressing cells.

Disclosed are improved peptides for inhibiting angiogenesis, Ac-RLYE (SEQ ID NO: 1) and R(D)LYE (SEQ ID NO: 6), and a composition for the prevention and treatment of cancers and diseases related to angiogenesis comprising the peptides as an active ingredient. A peptide for inhibiting angiogenesis is disclosed wherein the L-Arg of an N-terminal is acetylated in a peptide consisting of an amino acid sequence of Arg-Leu-Tyr-Glu (SEQ ID NO: 1). A peptide for inhibiting angiogenesis is disclosed wherein L-Arg is substituted with D-Arg in a peptide consisting of the amino acid sequence of Arg-Leu-Tyr-Glu (SEQ ID NO: 6). Methods for using a composition comprising the peptides as active ingredients for the prevention or treatment of diseases (cancer, diabetic retinopathy or senile macular degeneration) caused by excessive angiogenesis are also disclosed. The peptides have a long half-life and are excellent in VEGF-induced angiogenesis inhibitory effect.

Disclosed are various crystalline salt forms of Boc-D-Arg-DMT-Lys(Boc)-Phe-NH.sub.2.

The disclosure provides methods of preventing or treating mitochondrial myopathy in a mammalian subject, reducing risk factors associated with mitochondrial myopathy, and/or reducing the likelihood or severity of mitochondrial myopathy. The methods comprise administering to the subject an effective amount of an aromatic-cationic peptide.

The invention provides methods of preventing or treating insulin resistance in a mammalian subject. The methods comprise administering to the subject an effective amount of an aromatic-cationic peptide having at least one net positive charge; a minimum of four amino acids; a maximum of about twenty amino acids; a relationship between the minimum number of net positive charges (p.sub.m) and the total number of amino acid residues (r) wherein 3p.sub.m is the largest number that is less than or equal to r+1; and a relationship between the minimum number of aromatic groups (a) and the total number of net positive charges (p.sub.t) wherein 2a is the largest number that is less than or equal to p.sub.t+1, except that when a is 1, p.sub.t may also be 1.

Herein is reported a method for producing a fusion-polypeptide comprising the seeps of a) cultivating a mammalian cell comprising a nucleic acid encoding a variant fusion-polypeptide wherein the amino acid sequence of the fusion-polypeptide has been modified by replacing in a pro-fusion-polypeptide the endogenous protease cleavage site between the pro-peptide and the fusion-polypeptide with an exogenous (with respect to the origins of the parts of the fusion-polypeptide) or artificial protease cleavage site, and b) recovering the fusion-polypeptide or fusion-pro-polypeptide from the cell or the cultivation median and thereby producing the (recombinant) fusion-polypeptide.

The invention provides a novel class of cyanine dyes that are functionalized with sulfonic acid groups and a linker moiety that facilitates their conjugation to other species and substituent groups which increase the water-solubility, and optimize the optical properties of the dyes. Also provided are conjugates of the dyes, methods of using the dyes and their conjugates and kits including the dyes and their conjugates.