A new cell line and an antibody for determining the activity of botulinum toxin are disclosed. Also disclosed is a method of determining the activity of botulinum toxin using the cell line and/or the antibody.

A new cell line and an antibody for determining the activity of botulinum toxin are disclosed. Also disclosed is a method of determining the activity of botulinum toxin using the cell line and/or the antibody.

This invention concerns compositions and methods of treating or diagnosing inflammatory disorders and other disorders, as well as compositions and methods of treating HIV.

A method for evaluating drug responsiveness includes disposing a myocardial cell produced through differential induction onto a board including an electrode, administering a drug to the myocardial cell, continuously applying, after the drug is administered, a pulse current or a pulse voltage to the myocardial cell through the electrode for a certain period of time, measuring, after the certain period of time has elapsed, a pulsation characteristic of the myocardial cell, and evaluating responsiveness of the myocardial cell to the drug on a basis of the pulsation characteristic.

Provided is a method, and pharmaceutical composition, to treat or prevent cyanide poisoning and/or methylmercaptan poisoning comprising administering to a subject in need an effective amount of tetrathionate by intramuscular injection or by intranasal administration. Also provided is a method for detecting the presence of tetrathionate in a sample by reacting it with cyanide and measuring the resulting thiocyanate with ferric nitrate.

The present invention relates to a method for detecting the presence of one or more bacterial toxins, capable of binding to cell membranes, in biological fluid wherein the method comprises: (i) incubating the biological fluid with a plurality of liposomes, wherein the liposomes comprise a lipid capable of binding to said one or more toxins, to provide one or more liposome-toxin conjugate; (ii) incubating said conjugates with at least one type of antibody bound to a label to provide one or more conjugate-antibody complex; wherein each type of antibody in the mixture is specific for one of the bacterial toxins whose presence is to be detected; and (iii) analysing said complexes in order to detect the presence of one or more bacterial toxins capable of binding to cell membranes. Further aspects of the invention relate to a conjugate-antibody complex useful in the methods of the invention and a kit useful for performing the method of the invention.

The present invention relates to compositions and methods for identifying and treating signature MP-associated diseases and conditions in subjects. In particular, treatment methods of the invention include administering a gelsolin agent to produce a therapeutic effect against a signature MP-associated disease or condition in a subject.

This invention concerns compositions and methods of treating or diagnosing inflammatory disorders and other disorders, as well as compositions and methods of treating HIV.

The present invention pertains to a polyclonal or monoclonal antibody specifically binding to BoNT/E-cleaved SNAP-25. Further, the invention provides a method for directly determining the biological activity of BoNT/E in cells, comprising the steps of: a) incubating cells susceptible to BoNT/E intoxication with BoNT/E for a time and under conditions which allow for the BoNT/E to exert its biological activity; b) fixing the cells and, optionally, permeabilizing the cells with a detergent; c) contacting the cells with at least a first capture antibody specifically binding to non-cleaved and BoNT/E-cleaved SNAP-25, and with at least a second capture antibody specifically binding to BoNT/E-cleaved SNAP-25, wherein the second capture antibody is an antibody of the invention, under conditions which allow for binding of said capture antibodies to the indicated substrates; d) contacting the cells with at least a first detection antibody specifically binding to the first capture antibody, under conditions which allow for binding of said first detection antibody to said first capture antibody, thus forming first detection complexes, and with at least a second detection antibody specifically binding to the second capture antibody, under conditions which allow for binding of said second detection antibody to said second capture antibody, thus forming second detection complexes, and wherein the first detection antibody is different from the second detection antibody; e) determining the amount of the first and second detection complexes of step d); and f) calculating the amount of SNAP-25 cleaved by BoNT/E in said cells by means of the second detection complexes, thereby determining the biological activity of BoNT/E in said cells. Furthermore, the invention relates to a kit for carrying out the method of the invention.

A method for detecting verotoxin includes: providing a sample and a molecule that binds to verotoxin; performing an operation for purifying verotoxin in the sample by using binding of the molecule and the verotoxin; and subjecting the sample obtained by the operation to a first mass spectrometry.