Abstract: A peptide comprising a free terminal alpha amine is treated with an aryl sulfonamide activating agent, resulting in an activated amide. The resulting activated amide is deprotonated with a base and modified by the addition of a substituent group. The aryl sulfonamide activating group is cleaved using a nucleophilic substitution reaction. The method is particularly useful for the modification of peptides at specific N-alpha positions, and is compatible with conventional solid phase peptide synthesis, including those that utilize Fmoc protecting groups.

Abstract: Luminescent chemical reagents that include complexes of rare earth metals with ligands such as aromatic heterocyclic nitrogen-containing compounds and semi-aromatic oxygen-containing compounds are used to detect small quantities of complex substances such as pharmaceuticals, metabolites, and microorganisms in complex sample mixtures.

Abstract: The invention provides a rapid approach for combinatorial synthesis and screening of libraries of imidazol-pyrido-indole and imidazol-pyrido-benzothiophene compounds. The present invention further provides methods of preparing the libraries and the individual compounds made by the combinatorial synthesis.

Abstract: A chemiluminescent assays for the determination of the presence or amount of a biopolymer in bound assays using 1,2-dioxetanes in connection with AttoPhos.TM. as chemiluminescent substrates for enzyme-labeled targets or probes is provided. Further disclosed is a kit for conducting a bioassay for the presence or concentration of a biopolymer comprising a) an enzyme complex; b) a 1,2-dioxetane; and c) AttoPhos.TM..

Abstract: Fluorescence immunoassays methods are provided which use fluorescent dyes which are free of aggregation and serum binding. Such immunoassay methods are thus, particularly useful for the assay of biological fluids, such as serum, plasma, whole blood and urine.

Abstract: Linear peralkylated oligopeptide sets of molecules are disclosed, as are their methods of synthesis and use in acceptor binding assays. Each molecule or chain of a set contains the same number of two to about ten substituted peralkylated amino acid residues, and the member chains of a set are present in equimolar amounts. The chains of a set contain one or more predetermined peralkylated amino acid residues at one or more predetermined positions of the peralkylated oligopeptide chain. The set contains equimolar amounts of at least six different peralkylated amino acid residues at one or more of the same predetermined positions of the peralkylated oligopeptide chain.

Abstract: The invention concerns libraries of chemical compounds, that are useful in medicinal chemistry and related arts, their methods of manufacture and methods of their use. In one embodiment the individual chemical species of the library are synthesized aleatoricly, i.e, by a process involving chance. The chemical species of the library are used while attached to solid phase supports. The library differs from previously disclosed libraries that were intended to be screened while in solid phase in that each individual solid phase support or identifiable portion of a solid phase array displays many species of ligands, collectively termed a "set." The library is constructed so that each set contains a single invariant structure, common to all the species of ligands attached to the particular solid phase support, which is termed a "motif." The invention teaches that libraries of motifs can be employed advantageously compared to known libraries wherein a single species is present on each support.

Abstract: Methods of detecting analytes or target species using two enzyme-labeled specific binding partners where the two enzymes function in concert to produce a detectable chemiluminescent signal are disclosed. The methods use a specific binding partner labeled with a hydrolytic enzyme to produce a phenolic enhancer in close proximity to a peroxidase-labeled second specific binding partner. The method is useful to detect and quantitate with improved specificity various biological molecules including antigens and antibodies by the technique of immunoassay, proteins by Western blotting, DNA by Southern blotting, RNA by Northern blotting. The method may also be used to detect DNA mutations and juxtaposed gene segments in chromosomal translocations and particularly to unambiguously identify heterozygous genotypes in a single test.

Abstract: The present invention relates to novel tetrahydro-quinoline compounds of the following formula, libraries containing such compounds, and to the generation of such combinatorial libraries composed of such compounds: ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.3, R.sup.4, R.sup.5, R.sup.6, R.sup.7, R.sup.8 and Y have the meanings provided.

Abstract: The present invention relates to methods of enriching for desired cell population from cell sources, such as body fluids, dispersed tissue specimens and cultured cells. In particular, the present invention relates to the use of a cell-trap centrifugation tube containing a specific density gradient solution adjusted to the specific density of a desired cell population to enrich for the desired cell from a cell source. The tube allows the desired cell population to be collected by decantation after centrifugation to minimize cell loss and maximize efficiency. In addition, the method can be further simplified by density-adjusted cell sorting which uses cell type-specific binding agents such as antibodies and lectins linked to carrier particles to impart a different density to the undesired populations in a more convenient manner. The rapid cell enrichment method described herein has a wide range of diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for enhancing the repair of injured neurons, where the site of injury is either within nerves of the peripheral nervous system, or within neural pathways of the central nervous system. The repair of a neuron may be enhanced by the application of the neural cell adhesion molecule (N-CAM) or a subunit of N-CAM to the site of the injury, particularly in the absence of any exogenous device such as a tube surrounding the immediate site of the injury. The method (1) maximizes recovery in severe nerve injuries, and (2) provides the first successful treatment ever reported for spinal cord injuries. Most physicians and veterinarians will be able to use the novel method of treatment without substantial additional training, as special surgical skills are not needed.

Abstract: Compounds having detergent properties are disclosed. When a modifying reagent is brought into contact with these compounds, the detergent properties are decreased. These compounds are useful, for example, as solubilizing agents for microbial antigens and/or antibodies and for reversibly wetting hydrophobic surfaces. Accordingly, methods are disclosed for increasing the hydrophilic properties of a material, such as a microbial antigen and/or antibody, the methods generally comprising the steps of contacting the material with the compound having detergent properties and a modifiable group, and modifying the compound with a modifying reagent. Kits are also disclosed for use in accordance with this methodology.

Abstract: A technique for analyzing analytes in a chemical array having a plurality of pixels is provided. The apparatus of the technique contains a light source for irradiating a light beam at the pixels individually, a controller for controlling the relative position of the light source to the array, and a detector for detecting fluorescence resulting from irradiation. The controller controls the light beam generated by the light source to irradiate a first number of pixels sequentially in the array and repeating one or more times the sequential irradiation before irradiating a second number of pixels, the pixels of which are different from those of the first number of pixels. The first number of pixels includes more than one pixel but less than the total number of pixels in the array.

Abstract: Ligands that interact with a target can be more easily identified if false positive interactions (either specific or non-specific) from the detecting system are differentiated from the target-specific interaction. An improved method of identifying peptides which bind with a target protein is presented. The steps are: binding a random library of peptides to a support material, allowing detection reagents to contact the peptides and the support material then identifying these interactions, then allowing the target protein to selectively bind to the peptides, allowing detection reagents to contact the bound target protein, and characterizing the peptide bound to the identified support material. Interaction of a ligand or the support material with the detection reagents will cause a distinct color change which distinguishes those ligands which selectively bind to target protein. The characterized peptide can then be used in affinity purification of the target protein.

Abstract: The present invention provides for a method of detecting antipolymer antibodies, and a method for detecting silicone related disease, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Abstract: A method to determine the molecular weights of femtomole or smaller quantities of small molecules, such as peptides, oligonucleotides, or heterocyclics, covalently attached to polystyrene beads on a grid, is presented using imaging time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS). The determination is made possible by selectively clipping the bond linking the small molecule to the bead, followed directly by a TOF-SIMS assay of the bead on the grid. The method can be applied to large numbers of polystyrene beads having different small molecules attached thereto for direct characterization of massive combinatorial libraries.

Abstract: Homogeneous assays for determining quantitatively the extent of a specific binding reaction can be carried out effectively on very dilute solutions using measurements of fluorescence if a fluorescence measurement scheme that is capable of rejecting short-lived background fluorescence is employed and if the fluorescent group being measured has the following properties: a. the group being measured must be a rare earth metal chelate complex combination; b. the chelate must be water-soluble; c. the complex combination must also be stable in extremely dilute aqueous solutions, that is, the measured chelate must have at least one ligand having a metal-to-ligand binding constant of at least about 10.sup.13 M.sup.-1 or greater and it must have a fluorescent emission that is long-lived compared to the longest decay lifetime of ambient substances and have a half life of from 0.01 to 50 msec.

Abstract: A method is provided for assembling an exhaust processor including a housing formed from a tube having an inlet end and an outlet end, an internal inlet cone shield, a substrate, and an internal outlet cone shield. The housing includes an inlet end and an outlet end. The inlet end of the tube is sized down to a desired inlet diameter to form the inlet end of the housing. The internal inlet cone shield is installed into the tube through the outlet end of the tube. The substrate is inserted into the tube through the outlet end of the tube. The internal outlet cone shield is installed into the tube through the outlet end of the tube. The outlet end of the tube is sized down to a desired outlet diameter to form the outlet end of the housing.

Abstract: A new and improved polymeric membrane for use in biological assays is provided. A blotting assay employing 1,2-dioxetanes as a source of chemiluminescent employs, as an improved membrane, a polymer comprised of at least one monomer of the formula: ##STR1## The membranes reduce background signal, improve sensitivity and reliability.

Abstract: Combinatorial libraries of different-sequence peptide members is disclosed. The libraries are comprised of stabilized, alpha-helical polypeptides having a similar tertiary structure but different amino acid residues at specific, "variable" positions in the sequence. The polypeptides are stabilized through coiled-coil interactions with other .alpha.-helical polypeptides and/or via intrahelical lactam bridges. Also disclosed are methods for using such libraries to screen for selected macromolecular ligands.