Disclosed are methods of determining activity of mTOR variants upon exposure to mTOR inhibitors, such a rapamycin or rapalogs thereof, methods for determining kinase activity of a mTOR variant, and methods for determining tumor cell response to treatment with rapamycin or rapalogs thereof. A method for determining whether a compound inhibits mTOR activity in a cell is also disclosed.

An improved method of deprotection in solid phase peptide synthesis is disclosed. In particular the deprotecting composition is added in high concentration and small volume to the mixture of the coupling solution, the growing peptide chain, and any excess activated acid from the preceding coupling cycle, and without any draining step between the coupling step of the previous cycle and the addition of the deprotection composition for the successive cycle. Thereafter, the ambient pressure in the vessel is reduced with a vacuum pull to remove the deprotecting composition without any draining step and without otherwise adversely affecting the remaining materials in the vessel or causing problems in subsequent steps in the SPPS cycle.

The present invention relates to the pharmaceutical use of FAM19A5 involved in regulating gliogenesis, and more specifically, to the use of FAM19A5 in the prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of central nervous system injuries, degenerative brain diseases, or central nervous system diseases, FAM19A5 being spread in the neural stem cells in vertebrates and regulating gliogenesis.

The present invention relates to a new peptide called Antisecretory Factor (AF) 17 which is an isolated recombinant and/or synthetically produced which has a t½ of at least 1.8 h. The peptide is e.g. useful for normalizing pathological fluid transport and/or inflammatory reactions in animals and in humans. AF-17 and pharmaceutical compositions of AF-17 can e.g. be used for treating and/or preventing TBI and/or secondary brain injuries associated with TBI, as well as for treating and/or preventing acquired brain injuries and to optimize cancer treatment.

Peptides that specifically bind erythrocytes are described. These are provided as peptidic ligands having sequences that specifically bind, or as antibodies or fragments thereof that provide specific binding, to erythrocytes. The peptides may be prepared as molecular fusions with therapeutic agents, tolerizing antigens, or targeting peptides. Immunotolerance may be created by use of the fusions and choice of an antigen on a substance for which tolerance is desired. Fusions with targeting peptides direct the fusions to the target, for instance a tumor, where the erythrocyte-binding ligands reduce or entirely eliminate blood flow to the tumor by recruiting erythrocytes to the target.

The present invention relates to the pharmaceutical use of FAM19A5 involved in regulating gliogenesis, and more specifically, to the use of FAM19A5 in the prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of central nervous system injuries, degenerative brain diseases, or central nervous system diseases, FAM19A5 being spread in the neural stem cells in vertebrates and regulating gliogenesis.

The present invention relates to the pharmaceutical use of FAM19A5 involved in regulating gliogenesis, and more specifically, to the use of FAM19A5 in the prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of central nervous system injuries, degenerative brain diseases, or central nervous system diseases, FAM19A5 being spread in the neural stem cells in vertebrates and regulating gliogenesis.

Peptides that specifically bind erythrocytes are described. These are provided as peptidic ligands having sequences that specifically bind, or as antibodies or fragments thereof that provide specific binding, to erythrocytes. The peptides may be prepared as molecular fusions with therapeutic agents, tolerizing antigens, or targeting peptides. Immunotolerance may be created by use of the fusions and choice of an antigen on a substance for which tolerance is desired. Fusions with targeting peptides direct the fusions to the target, for instance a tumor, where the erythrocyte-binding ligands reduce or entirely eliminate blood flow to the tumor by recruiting erythrocytes to the target.

Peptides that specifically bind erythrocytes are described. These are provided as peptidic ligands having sequences that specifically bind, or as antibodies or fragments thereof that provide specific binding, to erythrocytes. The peptides may be prepared as molecular fusions with therapeutic agents, tolerizing antigens, or targeting peptides. Immunotolerance may be created by use of the fusions and choice of an antigen on a substance for which tolerance is desired. Fusions with targeting peptides direct the fusions to the target, for instance a tumor, where the erythrocyte-binding ligands reduce or entirely eliminate blood flow to the tumor by recruiting erythrocytes to the target.

The present invention relates to a new peptide called Antisecretory Factor (AF) 17 which is an isolated recombinant and/or synthetically produced which has a t of at least 1.8 h. The peptide is e.g. useful for normalizing pathological fluid transport and/or inflammatory reactions in animals and in humans. AF-17 and pharmaceutical compositions of AF-17 can e.g. be used for treating and/or preventing TBI and/or secondary brain injuries associated with TBI, as well as for treating and/or preventing acquired brain injuries and to optimize cancer treatment.