Abstract: The invention relates to diagnostic methods to predict whether a subject is predisposed for acquiring a disease or to predict the therapy responsiveness of an individual patient. Provided is a method for determining whether a subject is predisposed for developing an autoimmune disease, comprising determining in a sample isolated from said subject the amount of intact genes, or gene products thereof, of the Fc?RII/Fc?RIII gene cluster, said gene cluster comprising the FCGR2C, FCGR3A, FCGR2A and FCGR3B genes encoding an activating Fc?R, and FCGR2B encoding an inhibitory Fc?R; and correlating said amount to the amount observed in a healthy population. Also provided is a method to predict the responsiveness of a subject to therapy with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) therapy or a monospecific biological, such as a humanized or human monoclonal antibody or a chimeric molecule, comprising the C-terminal Fc-tail of IgG.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a method of determining the dose and/or administration of statins to a patient suffering from a cardiovascular disease. The object is achieved by the method of determining the dose and/or administration of statins to a patient suffering from a cardiovascular disease comprising Step (1) of measuring the intracellular SmgGDS expression level of a patient suffering from a cardiovascular disease before and after administration of statin; and Step (2) of determining the type and/or the dose of statin for the patient in reference to the SmgGDS expression level measured in the Step (1).

Abstract: An oligonucleotide for a detection test of a polymorphism of EGFR exon 19, the oligonucleotide being at least one selected from the group consisting of a P1 oligonucleotide and a P1? oligonucleotide, the P1 oligonucleotide having a 3? end subjected to an extension inhibition treatment, which has an identity of at least 80% with respect to a base sequence including at least the 115th to the 123rd bases of the base sequence indicated in SEQ ID NO: 1 and has a length of from 9 to 80 bases; and the P1? oligonucleotide having a 3? end subjected to an extension inhibition treatment, which hybridizes under stringent conditions with a complementary strand of a base sequence including at least the 115th to the 123rd bases of the base sequence indicated in SEQ ID NO: 1 and having a length of from 9 to 80 bases.

Abstract: The present invention relates to polynucleotides enabling the rapid, simple and specific detection of Group B Streptococcus highly-virulent ST-17 clones. The present invention also relates to the polypeptides encoded by the polynucleotides, as well as to antibodies directed or raised against the polypeptides. The present invention also relates to kits and methods for the specific detection of Group B Streptococcus highly-virulent ST-17 clones, using the polynucleotides, the polypeptides or the antibodies according to the invention.

Abstract: A method of predicting a lung cancer patient's response to FGFR inhibitors is disclosed herein, particularly in patients with squamous cell lung cancer.

Abstract: The invention provides methods permitting the detection of small amounts of different nucleic acids in the presence of an excess amount of wild-type nucleic acids. Also provided herein are method so detecting infectious disease minority variants, methods of forensic identification, methods of diagnosing cancer and monitoring disease progress.

Abstract: The invention relates to extracorporeal methods of analyzing the presence or absence of mutations which cause familial hypercholesterolemia. The inventive methods describe the way in which said mutations can be detected using a DNA sample from an individual and comprising the following: chain reaction of the polymerase with primers which are complementary to the low-density lipoprotein receptor gene; analysis of the amplified product by sequencing; restriction analysis; single strand conformation polymorphism techniques; heteroduplex analysis and analysis of a device on top of a biochip glass support on which oligonucleotide probes are disposed, which can be used to detect the aforementioned mutations in the DNA.

Abstract: A specific, non-synonymous SNP in the Prnp gene encoding the bovine prion protein affects the susceptibility of bovine animals to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). Depending on the number of octapeptide repeat units present in the Prnp gene, the position of the SNP is either nucleotide 631 of exon 3 (codon 211) when the Prnp gene comprises six octapeptide repeat region sequences, nucleotide 607 of exon 3 (codon 203) when the Prnp gene comprises five octapeptide repeat region sequences, or nucleotide 655 of exon 3 (codon 219) when the Prnp gene comprises seven octapeptide repeat region sequences. Alleles of the bovine Prnp wherein the SNP at these positions is lysine (K) at the corresponding amino acids (i.e., 211, 203 or 219) in the bovine prion protein are all indicative of increased susceptibility to BSE in comparison to alleles which encode glutamic acid (E) at the same position.

Abstract: Substituting fish of lesser value for high priced fish such as grouper has become a major problem for restaurants, wholelsalers, and the general public. A method based upon nucleic acid amplification enables clear differentiation between grouper and potential substitutes. The nucleic acid is incubated with a molecular beacon probe thereby allowing detection of the hybridized molecular beacon probe. All grouper, including the fresh market sample, were successfully confirmed as grouper. Several non-grouper samples obtained fresh and frozen from the market were also tested; none were detected as grouper.

Abstract: Compositions are disclosed as nucleic acid sequences that may be used as amplification oligomers, including primers, capture probes for sample preparation, and detection probes specific for Legionella pneumophila 16S or 23S rRNA sequences or DNA encoding 16S or 23S rRNA. Methods are disclosed for detecting the presence of L. pneumophila in samples by using the disclosed compositions in methods that include in vitro nucleic acid amplification of a 16S rRNA sequence or DNA encoding the 16S rRNA sequence, or of a 23S rRNA sequence or DNA encoding the 23S rRNA sequence to produce a detectable amplification product.

Abstract: Methods are provided for detecting an aneuploidy in a fetus. These methods can be used to detect trisomy 13, 8 or 21, amongst other aneupoloidies. In some embodiments, the methods include selectively purifying fetal DNA from a maternal biological sample using the methylation status of a CpG containing genomic sequence and genotyping the fetus using the purified fetal DNA, thereby detecting aneuploidy in the fetus.

Abstract: Methods of screening for a cause of low sperm motility and/or for mitochondrial impairment in subjects are provided, comprising determining a genotype of the subject with respect to at least one choline metabolism gene and comparing the genotype of the subject with at least one reference choline metabolism genotype associated with low sperm motility and/or impaired mitochondrial function, wherein a similarity between the subject and reference genotypes indicates a cause of low sperm motility and/or impaired mitochondrial function in the subject. In another aspect, methods for treating subjects having low sperm motility and/or impaired mitochondrial function are provided, comprising administering to the subject an effective amount of a choline metabolism supplement composition to at least partially ameliorate the low sperm motility and/or impaired mitochondrial function.

Abstract: The disclosure features a collection that comprises a plurality of polymers, typically nucleic acid molecules in a compact form. The molecules include all possible sequences or at least a certain percentage of all possible sequences, of a particular length.

Abstract: The present invention provides an efficient way for high throughput haplotype analysis. Several polymorphic nucleic acid markers, such as SNPs, can be simultaneously and reliably determined through multiplex PCR of single nucleic acid molecules in several parallel single molecule dilutions and the consequent statistical analysis of the results from these parallel single molecule multiplex PCR reactions results in reliable determination of haplotypes present in the subject. The nucleic acid markers can be of any distance to each other on the chromosome. In addition, an approach wherein overlapping DNA markers are analyzed can be used to link smaller haplotypes into larger haplotypes. Consequently, the invention provides a powerful new tool for diagnostic haplotyping and identifying novel haplotypes.

Abstract: The present invention concerns methods and compositions usable for diagnosing Alzheimer's disease in mammals, in particular humans. It particularly describes serum markers for Alzheimer's disease and their use in diagnostic methods. It also concerns tools and/or kits usable for implementing these methods (reagents, probes, primers, antibodies, chips, cells, etc.), their preparation and their use. The invention is usable to detect the presence or progression of Alzheimer's disease in mammals, including in the early phase, as well as for predicting the efficacy of an Alzheimer's disease treatment.

Abstract: A method of fabrication or manufacture at micrometer and nanometer scale by spatially selective deposition of chemical substances so as to form a solid phase array on a substrate (10) which includes the steps of defining a region (15) on the substrate by forming an electrostatic charge on that region which is different from the electrostatic charge on other regions of the substrate such as by formation of a latent electrostatic image thereon, applying an emulsion to the substrate. The emulsion (16) has an electrically charged discontinuous phase and a component to be selectively deposited carried in or comprising the discontinuous phase. The discontinuous phase of the emulsion is attracted to the preselected region by attraction by the electrostatic charge on the region and deposition obtained with or without reaction. The electrostatic image may be formed by the use of photoconductor.

Abstract: Single nucleotide polymorphisms and uses for determining the imprinting status of the Insulin Growth Factor-2 gene in a clinical specimen are described.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for genome analysis are provided. A microfabricated structure including a microfluidic distribution channel is configured to distribute microreactor elements having copies of a sequencing template into a plurality of microfabricated thermal cycling chambers. A microreactor element may include a microcarrier element carrying the multiple copies of the sequencing template. The microcarrier element may comprise a microsphere. An autovalve at an exit port of a thermal cycling chamber, an optical scanner, or a timing arrangement may be used to ensure that only one microsphere will flow into one thermal cycling chamber wherein thermal cycling extension fragments are produced. The extension products are captured, purified, and concentrated in an integrated oligonucleotide gel capture chamber. A microfabricated component separation apparatus is used to analyze the purified extension fragments.

Abstract: Provided are methods for detecting, characterizing or separating DNA based on methylation. Heterogeneous DNA populations are separated based on DNA methylation by providing a membrane having a nanopore through which an electric field is applied. DNA of interest is introduced, and for a given threshold voltage across the nanopore, only DNA having a methylation parameter of interest may transit the pore, thereby facilitating detection, characterization, or separation of DNA based on methylation. The methods are optionally used to detect a disease state that is associated with DNA methylation including, but not limited to, cancer.

Abstract: Described are devices and methods for detecting binding on an electrode surface. In addition, devices and methods for electrochemically synthesizing polymers and devices and methods for synthesizing and detecting binding to the polymer on a common integrated device surface are described.