Abstract: The invention relates to antibodies, antibody fragments and binding agents that specifically recognize oligomeric tau but do not bind to monomelic tau, fibrillar tau or non-disease associated forms of tau.

Abstract: Disclosed are mammalian tau proteases, as well as proteolytically-active fragments, variants, and mutants thereof. Also disclosed are polynucleotides and recombinant expression vectors that encode these polypeptides, as well as methods for producing such proteins in selected recombinant host cells, and for using the compositions in a variety of diagnostic and analytical assays.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods and, accordingly, in vitro systems for generating stable and soluble oligomers of amyloid proteins, under physiological pH and temperature; and hence, a system for identifying and validating drugs that have the potential to prevent formation of soluble oligomers of amyloid proteins, to disaggregate soluble oligomers of amyloid proteins already formed and possibly disaggregate downstream larger insoluble aggregates of amyloid proteins.

Abstract: Described herein are compositions and methods for identifying cellular factors involved in protein agglomeration. One such factor is a nucleic acid component. Another factor is a cellular binding factor. The nucleic acid components, and methods of using them, to interact with agglomeration proteins are also disclosed herein. The nucleic acid compositions herein comprise one or more DNA or RNA molecules having affinity for at least one agglomeration protein. The nucleic acid component is a naturally or non-naturally occurring molecule with twenty or more ribonucleotide bases. For RNA, at least one nucleotide sequence portion of this RNA molecule has affinity to at least one consensus sequence present in the agglomeration RNA-binding protein. Methods disclosed herein are directed towards detecting the presence of one or more agglomeration proteins in a sample matrix using the amplibody compositions described herein.