Selective cytotoxicity, or the ability to selectively remove certain cell types from a population, is a vital technology that is often applied to various therapeutic applications.
Stanford scientists have developed a new, better binder for the tumor-associated macrophage marker CD206. This binder can be conjugated to a variety of payloads, including an anti-immune checkpoint protein antibody for more selective immune checkpoint blockade.
The blood-brain barrier (BBB) lumen is coated by a carbohydrate-rich meshwork known as the brain endothelial glycocalyx layer. Stanford researchers have shown that the brain endothelial glycocalyx is highly dysregulated during aging and neurodegenerative disease.
Targeted protein degradation is an emerging strategy for the elimination of classically undruggable proteins. Mucins are known to be involved in tumor-progressive pathways but are difficult to target using small molecules and antibodies.
Stanford researchers have patented methods to improve phagocytosis, the process by which macrophages clear protein aggregates, dying cells, and debris, to treat age-related diseases.
Jennifer Cochran and Carolyn Bertozzi have collaborated to develop a bifunctional molecule called a polyspecific integrin-binding peptide (PIP)-LYTAC that can bind to integrins expressed on the surface of cancer cells and trigger their degradation via the lysosome.
Stanford researchers have identified lipid droplet accumulating microglia (LAM) in aging brains, proposing that these microglia play a role in neurodegenerative disease.
Stanford researchers have developed a PCR-based method that detects disease-relevant, isotype-specific antibodies and can be used to diagnose allergy. Allergy is a prevalent immune hypersensitivity disease that affects more than 20% of the US population.