Available for licensing are monoclonal antibodies against HIV-1 viral protein R (Vpr) and the respective hybridoma cell lines expressing the same. The antibodies provide a means for detecting HIV-1 Vpr. Currently, the mechanism of HIV pathogenesis believed to involve viral replication inside immune cells and other cells. At present, there are no clinical assays for detecting HIV-1 Vpr. Vpr circulates at detectable levels in the blood and is likely derived from degraded virions or released from infected cells. Vpr facilitates viral replication and disrupt normal cell function.

The identification of more sensitive and specific markers of atherosclerosis that are non-invasive and cost-effective may have profound impacts on public health. One such strategy involves the detection of marker genes or their products in blood or serum. Such markers may help identify high-risk patients with subclinical atherosclerosis who may benefit from intensive primary prevention or they may help determine the activity of established disease for monitoring response to treatment, resulting in more targeted secondary prevention.

The ability of the immune system to discriminate between self and non-self is controlled by central and peripheral tolerance mechanisms. One of the most important ways the immune system controls the outcome of such a response is through naturally occurring CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells.

The present invention relates to compositions and methods for treating immune related disease, a method for determining the presence of or predisposition to an immune related disease, and a pharmaceutical composition for treating an immune related disease in a mammal.

The disclosed invention provides materials and methods to treat granulocytopenia (low white cell count in the blood) which is characterized by a reduced number of granulocytes (relative) or an absence of granulocytes (absolute). This condition is commonly associated with cancer chemotherapy, but is seen less frequently in a number of conditions including the use of propylthiouracil, radiotherapy for marrow ablation for bone marrow transplantation, aplastic anemia, systemic lupus erythematosus, AIDS and a variety of other situations.

The second leading cause of death in the United States is cancer and more than one million Americans are diagnosed with cancer each year, with this number likely to increase as the population ages.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a life-long chronic autoimmune disease diagnosed primarily in young adults who have a virtually normal life expectancy. Estimates place the annual costs of MS in the United States in excess of $2.5 billion. There are approximately 250,000 to 400,000 persons in the United States with MS, and approximately 2.5 million persons worldwide suffer from MS. A variety of therapies are used to treat MS, but there is no single therapy that can be used to treat all patients.

SMADs are a novel set of mammalian proteins that act downstream of TGF-beta family ligands. These proteins can be categorized into three distinct functional sets, receptor-activated SMADs (SMADs 1,2,3,5, and 8), the common mediator SMAD (SMAD 4), and inhibitory SMADs (SMADs 6 and 7). SMAD proteins are thought to play a role in vertebrate development and tumorigenesis.

Biological materials are important research tools that can be used for diagnostic as well as therapeutic purposes. Antibodies have become viable drugs in the market today and there is a general market need for systems that may facilitate production of efficient and effective antibodies. In recent years, monoclonal antibodies have gained significant importance in their use, both as diagnostics and therapeutics, to intervene and combat diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and infections.

National Institutes of Health researchers have developed knockout mice that do not express Tristetraprolin (TTP). TTP is an AU-rich element (ARE) binding protein and the prototype of a family of CCCH zinc finger proteins. AREs were identified as conserved sequences found in the 3’ untranslated region (3’ UTR) of a variety of transiently expressed genes including early response genes, proto-oncogenes, and other growth regulatory genes. AREs function as instability sequences that target ARE-containing transcripts for rapid mRNA decay.

Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS) is a very rare progressive childhood disorder characterized by premature aging (progeria). Recently, the gene responsible for HGPS was identified (Eriksson M, et al. Nature 2003), and HGPS joined a group of syndromes — the laminopathies — all of which are caused by various mutations in the lamin A/C gene (LMNA). Lamin A is one of the family of proteins that is modified post-translationally by the addition of a farnesyl group.