Mycotoxin-deactivating aptamers, especially DNA aptamers, bind to mycotoxins in feed and feed ingredients resulting in the reduction or elimination of toxic and carcinogenic effects of mycotoxins. The invention also discloses a composition comprising a mycotoxin-deactivating aptamer, a binding agent, a biotransforming agent and an antioxidant for detoxifying mycotoxins in feeds. In addition, the invention teaches the methods of preparing the mycotoxin-deactivating aptamer-based composition and also the methods of using it as a feed additive. Furthermore, the invention relates to the use of the mycotoxin-deactivator/s alone, or in a composition comprising the aptamers and other mycotoxin-detoxifying agents, in feeds and feed ingredients for detoxifying the major mycotoxins such as aflatoxins, deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, fumonisins and ochratoxin A.

The present invention is directed to an aptamer composition comprising at least one oligonucleotide consisting of: deoxyribonucleotides, ribonucleotides, derivatives of deoxyribonucleotides, derivatives of ribonucleotides, and mixtures thereof; wherein said aptamer composition has a binding affinity for one or more bacterial species from the genera Prevotella and Porphyromonas.

DNA aptamers that recognize the human galectin-1 hGal1 with a very high degree of binding affinity and specificity, and inhibit hGal1-induced hemagglutination, besides presenting antiproliferative effects in seven human solid tumor cell lines are disclosed. The cytotoxicity tests demonstrated that, among 41 sequences tested, four of them (SEQ ID NO.: 04, SEQ ID NO.: 09, SEQ ID NO.:10 and, SEQ ID NO.:12) have the best capacity of inhibiting the cell growth in tumor cell. Additionally, the aptamers developed in the present invention will be used, for example, in the treatment of disorders related to the binding of human galectin-1 to a ligand in a mammal, wherein said disorder is selected from the group consisting of inflammation, fibrosis, septic shock, cancer, autoimmune diseases, metabolic disorders, heart disease, heart failure, pathological angiogenesis, and eye diseases, mainly cancer.

Oligonucleotide constructs are described, each comprising a functional element and a coding element, wherein the functional element comprises a functional sequence, the functional sequence comprising a sequence of nucleotides in which one or more, or each, nucleotide is modified and the coding element comprises a coding sequence, the coding sequence comprising a sequence of nucleotides which do not contain the modifications of the functional sequence, wherein the coding sequence encodes the sequence structure of the functional sequence.

The present disclosure relates to an aptamer nucleic acid molecule, a complex containing the aptamer and fluorophore small molecules, a method for detecting intrecellular or extracellular RNA, DNA or other target molecules, as well as a kit containing the aptamer. The aptamer of the present disclosure can specifically bind to fluorophore small molecules, and can significantly improve their fluorescence intensity under light excitation at suitable wavelength.

The present invention provides an aptamer that binds to chymase, and contains a common sequence represented by UAACR.sub.1N.sub.1R.sub.2GGGG wherein R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are each any one base, and N.sub.1 shows 3 to 30 bases (uracil is optionally thymine).

The present description relates to peptides, proteins, nucleic acids and cells for use in immunotherapeutic methods. In particular, the present description relates to the immunotherapy of cancer. The present description further relates to tumor-associated T-cell peptide epitopes, alone or in combination with other tumor-associated peptides that can for example serve as active pharmaceutical ingredients of vaccine compositions that stimulate anti-tumor immune responses, or to stimulate T-cells ex vivo and transfer into patients. Peptides bound to molecules of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), or peptides as such, can also be targets of antibodies, soluble T-cell receptors, and other binding molecules.

The present invention relates to peptides, proteins, nucleic acids and cells for use in immunotherapeutic methods. In particular, the present invention relates to the immunotherapy of cancer. The present invention furthermore relates to tumor-associated T-cell peptide epitopes, alone or in combination with other tumor-associated peptides that can for example serve as active pharmaceutical ingredients of vaccine compositions that stimulate anti-tumor immune responses, or to stimulate T-cells ex vivo and transfer into patients. Peptides bound to molecules of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), or peptides as such, can also be targets of antibodies, soluble T-cell receptors, and other binding molecules.

The invention concerns the identification of specific polypeptides, fragments variants thereof which can be used as markers for the efficacy of immunotherapy, particular for predicting responsiveness of a patient to immunotherapy.

Disclosed are novel D-dimer specific aptamers and methods of their use.