Described herein are compositions and methods relating to LAP-binding agents, including, for example, anti-LAP antibodies, and to their use in methods of treatment of cancer. LAP-binding agents affected both systemic and intra-tumor immunity and were shown effective to treat a broad spectrum of cancer types.

Provided is a human-derived sensory neuron induction culture system. A combination of a small molecule inhibitor LY2157299 and a growth factor is added into a serum-free basal medium. Compared with an induction method involving serum, not only is the efficiency of inducing pluripotent stem cells into sensory neurons greatly improved, but the expression of a variety of ion channel proteins is also significantly improved, thereby achieving successful induction of multiple induced pluripotent stem cells from different sources into sensory neurons.

A method of determining a pharmacodynamics or pharmacokinetic effect of an inhibitor of IL 1α comprising providing a sample from a subject; administering the inhibitor of IL 1α to the sample; measuring levels of one or more biomarkers in the sample; and determining the pharmacodynamic or the pharmacokinetic effect of the inhibitor of IL 1α based on the levels of the one or more biomarkers.

The invention relates to a strain of the Lactobacillus salivarius species deposited in the Spanish Type Culture Collection (CECT) with accession number 5713 or a mutant thereof for use in the treatment and/or prevention of infertility or recurrent pregnancy loss in a female subject. Additionally, the invention relates to an in vitro monitoring method for monitoring the effect of a treatment for infertility or recurrent pregnancy loss in a female subject with a strain of the Lactobacillus salivarius species deposited in the CECT with accession number 5713 or a mutant thereof.

This invention is related to the field of the prevention and treatment of kidney disease. The treatment of kidney disease may be tailored depending upon the need for, or expectation of, long-term dialysis. For example, prediction of long-term dialysis treatment can be determined by monitoring urine biomarkers related to the development of chronic kidney disease. For example, a normalized time course of approximately fourteen Days measuring hyaluronic acid, death receptor 5, and/or transforming growth factor β1 can be used to establish the risk of recovery versus non-recovery in patient's having suffered an acute kidney injury.

Described herein are aptamers capable of binding to growth differentiation factor 11 (GDF11) protein; compositions comprising a GDF11 binding aptamer with a GDF11 protein; and methods of making and using the same.

The invention aims to provide a method of screening for a therapeutic drug for cancer as a molecular-targeted drug targeting some protein from a number of candidate target proteins, without identifying the true target protein. In particular, the invention provides a method of screening for a therapeutic drug for cancer, including (i) a step of expressing an exogenous cell regulatory factor in a target cancer cell under contact or no contact with a test substance, (ii) a step of confirming change in the cancer cell, and (iii) a step of selecting the test substance as a therapeutic drug for cancer when the change of cancer cell increased under contact with the test substance as compared to no contact therewith.

Provided herein are methods and devices related to inducing a population of self-renewing or senescent stem cells, to produce one or more beneficial factors for the treatment of a disease or disorder in an individual. Also provided are compositions and methods for inducing senescence, useful for inducing senescence in a population of stem cells, in order to produce one or more beneficial factors for the treatment of a disease or disorder in an individual. Methods and devices to control and customize the production of the beneficial factors for the requirements of a disease or disorder being treated are described. Also provided are factor production units for the production of the beneficial factors, and devices for the delivery of the beneficial factors to an individual in need.

The invention relates to the field of medical prognostics. In particular, the invention relates to methods for predicting prostate cancer progression and overall survival prognosis in a subject involving the detection of elevated amounts of macrophage inhibitory cytokine-1 (MIC-1) in a test body sample such as serum.

A problem to be addressed by the present invention is to provide: a method for detecting bone metastasis of cancer (excluding castration resistant prostate cancer) in a simple and highly accurate manner; and a reagent that can be used in the method. Bone metastasis of cancer (excluding castration resistant prostate cancer) is detected by measuring an intact growth and differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) propeptide level, a GDF15 propeptide fragment level, and the total of an intact GDF15 propeptide level and a GDF15 propeptide fragment level in a sample. The above described method for detecting bone metastasis of cancer includes a method for detecting bone metastasis of prostate cancer other than castration resistant prostate cancer, renal cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, thyroid cancer, pancreatic cancer, bladder cancer, colon cancer, melanoma, myeloma, or lymphoma. Further, the reagent for detecting bone metastasis of cancer (excluding castration resistant prostate cancer) includes an antibody that specifically recognizes GDF15 propeptide.