Abstract: The invention relates to oligomers of a dimer, trimer, quatromer or pentamer of recombinant fusion proteins. Said oligomers are characterized in that the recombinant fusion proteins have at least one component A and at least one component B, whereby component A contains a protein or a protein segment with a biological function, in particular with a ligand function for antibodies, for soluble or membranous signal molecules, for receptors or an antibody, or an antibody segment, and component B contains a protein or a protein segment which dimerizes or oligomerizes the dimer, trimer, quatromer or pentamer of the recombinant fusion protein, without the action of third-party molecules. The invention also relates to the use of dimers or oligomers of this type for producing a medicament, to the fusion proteins which cluster in dimers or oligomers and to their DNA sequence and expression vectors or host cells comprising this DNA sequence.

Abstract: Disclosed is a recombinant fusion protein containing an amino-acid sequence which comprises: (a) the Fc section or part of an Fc section of an immunoglobulin as component (A) or a functional variant of component (A); (b) the extracellular part of a TNF ligand or a partial sequence of the extracellular part of a TNF ligand as component (B) or a functional variant of component (B); and optionally (c) a transition area between component (A) and component (B), containing a linker.

Abstract: The invention relates to oligomers of a dimer, trimer, quatromer or pentamer of recombinant fusion proteins. The oligomers are characterized in that the recombinant fusion proteins have at least one component A and at least one component B, whereby component A contains a protein or a protein segment with a biological function, in particular with a ligand function for antibodies, for soluble or membranous signal molecules, for receptors or an antibody, or an antibody segment, and component B contains a protein or a protein segment which dimerizes or oligomerizes the dimer, trimer, quatromer or pentamer of the recombinant fusion protein, without the action of third-party molecules. The invention also relates to the use of dimers or oligomers of this type for producing a medicament, to the fusion proteins which cluster in dimers or oligomers and to their DNA sequence and expression vectors or host cells comprising this DNA sequence.

Abstract: Compositions of cross-linked collagen and a glycosaminoglycan are provided which retain characteristics rendering them useful as tissue engineering matrices or scaffolds following terminal sterilization. Also provided are methods for producing these compositions and terminally sterilized matrices or scaffolds from these compositions as well as methods of using these matrices or scaffolds as tissue engineering devices.

Abstract: The present invention provides Arg-Gly-Asp peptides that can reduce or inhibit the binding of osteoclasts to a matrix such as bone or can selectively alter integrin receptor binding. The invention also provides methods of using the Arg-Gly-Asp peptides to reduce or inhibit osteoclast binding to a matrix, to reduce or inhibit bone resorption in a subject and to alter .alpha..sub.V .beta..sub.3 binding.