Abstract: A method is disclosed herein for monitoring the efficiency of an endonuclease digestion using a plasmid specifically designed for that purpose. The plasmid of the present invention comprises at least two polylinker regions containing a plurality of unique restriction sites distributed so that digestion of the plasmid with any two restriction endonucleases whose sites are represented on the plasmid results in two fragments that are sufficiently different in size from the intact plasmid so as to be readily distinguishable therefrom. To ensure this size differential, the polylinker regions of the plasmid are separated by a spacer segment comprising a restriction site-free nucleic acid sequence that is at least about 15% of the length of the intact plasmid.

Abstract: A method for determining the level of tyrosine kinase activity in a biological sample is disclosed. The method employs an anti-phosphotyrosine antibody as both the capture agent and the detecting agent. The detecting antibody is labeled with a fluorescent label, for instance, Cy5, Cy5.5 or Cy7 or a lanthanide ion, such as europium, as the signal generating entity. The method is particularly well suited to high throughput screening, for example, for compounds which modulate tyrosine kinase activity.

Abstract: An exsanguinous metabolic support system for maintaining an organ or tissue at a near normal metabolic rate is disclosed. The system employs a warm perfusion solution capable of supporting the metabolism of the organ or tissue thereby preserving its functional integrity. The system also monitors parameters of the circulating perfusion solution, such as pH, temperature, osmolarity, flow rate, vascular pressure and partial pressure of respiratory gases, and regulates them to insure that the organ is maintained under near-physiologic conditions. Use of the system for long-term maintenance of organs for transplantation, for resuscitation and repair of organs having sustained warm ischemic damage, as a pharmaceutical delivery system and prognosticator of posttransplantation organ function is also disclosed.

Abstract: The invention relates generally to compositions useful in altering the migration and/or proliferative activity of cells and to methods of using them. Reagents that can regulate cell migration and reorganization are useful in managing diseases in which cell migration and tissue remodeling play a role, including inhibiting vascular stenosis and restenosis that can result from endothelial injury. Migration-altering compositions include the proteins clusterin and gp38k and fragments thereof which retain the migration-altering activity, peptides derived from the proteins which possess the migration-altering activity, polyclonal, monoclonal and recombinant humanized antibodies directed against the proteins and fragments thereof and anti-sense oligonucleotides capable of binding clusterin and gp38k mRNAs.