Publications

Abstract The precision-cut lung slice (PCLS) model is an ex vivo tissue system that has been used to model disease and examine the effects of exogenous compounds. Few studies have been carried out on the complement of proteins (proteome) and peptides (peptidome) secreted by PCLS and other tissue sections, during tissue culture, although such data […]

Abstract A common hallmark of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is kidney fibrosis, which manifests as an increased deposition and turnover of collagens in the kidneys. Current clinical methods of monitoring disease progression in CKD patients do not truly reflect alterations at the tissue level without the use of invasive biopsies. Naturally occurring urinary peptides associated […]

Abstract BACKGROUND Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is an inflammatory arthritis associated with psoriasis. PsA disease involves flares, which are associated with increased joint inflammation and tissue remodeling. There is a need for identifying biomarkers related to PsA disease activity and flares to improve the management of PsA patients and decrease flares. The tissue turnover imbalance that […]

Abstract Biliary tract cancer (BTC) is characterized by a desmoplastic extracellular matrix (ECM). We tested the diagnostic and prognostic use of seven circulating biomarkers of ECM remodeling: pro-peptides of type III collagen (PRO-C3), VI (PRO-C6) and XI (PRO-C11), matrix metalloprotease (MMP) degraded type III collagen (C3M) and type IV collagen (C4M) fragments, granzyme B degraded […]

Abstract The type II collagen C-terminal pro-peptide is one of the most abundant polypeptides in cartilage. The purpose of this study was to develop a competitive chemiluminescence enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, CALC2, targeting this pro-peptide as a marker of cartilage formation. Technical assay parameters were evaluated. CALC2 level was measured after in vitro cleavage of recombinant […]

Abstract Due to activation of fibroblast into cancer-associated fibroblasts, there is often an increased deposition of extracellular matrix and fibrillar collagens, e.g. type III collagen, in the tumor microenvironment (TME) that leads to tumor fibrosis (desmoplasia). Tumor fibrosis is closely associated with treatment response and poor prognosis for patients with solid tumors. To assure that […]

Abstract Dual amylin and calcitonin receptor agonists (DACRAs) are novel candidates for treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity because of their beneficial effects on body weight, blood glucose, insulin sensitivity, and food preference, at least short-term. DACRAs activate the receptors for a prolonged time period, resulting in metabolic effects superior to those of amylin. […]

Abstract Evidence indicate that the brain-specific protein, brevican, is proteolytically cleaved during neurodegeneration, hence positioning fragments of brevican as potential blood biomarkers of neurodegenerative diseases, such as dementia. We aimed to develop two assays capable of detecting the brevican N-terminal (N-Brev) and the ADAMTS4-generated fragment (Brev-A), cleaved at Ser401, in serum and to perform a […]

Abstract Renal fibrosis is a hallmark of chronic kidney disease (CKD) caused by an imbalance between formation and degradation of extracellular matrix proteins. We investigated the collagen turnover profile of 81 non-dialysis CKD stage 2-5 patients by measuring peptides reflecting formation and degradation of collagen type (COL) I, III, IV, and VI. Based on the […]

Abstract BACKGROUND Excessive cartilage degradation is a known characteristic of osteoarthritis (OA). Biochemical markers, such as uCTX-II, have been shown to be associated with disease severity, yet the tissue origin of CTX-II has been disputed. This analysis investigates the association between OA knee joints at different radiographic stages and pain categories with levels of uCTX-II […]