The primary goal of this research is the development of novel plastics on which to culture cells in serum-free media. currently, biological attachment aids must be used for anchorage-dependent cells to attach and grow normally inthe absence of serum. low-temperature gas plasma techniques will be… More

Although microdialysis has been very useful for the acute monitoring of the biochemical mechanisms of the stomach and alimentary tract, chronic studies have not been as successful. hollow-fiber membranes (hfms) implanted for extended periods in the stomach walls of laboratory animals have caused… More

Microporous membranes offer researchers many experimental advantages over other cell culture methods. in addition, cells cultured on such membranes exhibit enhanced differentiation and many other properties that closely resemble those observed in vivo. however, currently the use of such membranes is… More

Surfaces for cell culture are used in many areas of bone research. the study of osteoblast cell culture is currently used to examine the molecular mechanisms leading to bone growth, morphology and mineralization. understanding of these molecular mechanisms gives insight into the origins and… More

In order to protect the general public from a broad variety of potentially harmful products and chemicals, toxicologic testing for dermal irritancy is routinely performed using laboratory animals. However, the use of animals and their maintenance is becoming increasingly costly. Animal testing… More

Many highly differentiated in vitro epidermal and dermal/epidermal skin models have beendeveloped which are useful for several reasons: 1) transdermal drug delivery systems, 2) skintransplantation, and 3) dermal irritancy testing. For the most part, these models incorporate epidermalkeratinocytes… More

One of the most controversial toxicology tests currently performed is the Draize rabbit eye irritancy test. In addition to the moral outcry against the procedure, the Draize test has been criticized due to the high degree of inter- and intra-laboratory variability, its lack of objectivity, and the… More

Many highly differentiated in vitro epidermal and dermal/epidermal skin models are being developed which would be extremely useful for 1) transdermal drug delivery systems, 2) skin transplantation, and 3) dermal toxicity testing. However, none of the current models accurately reproduce the barrier… More

Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin malignancy in the United States. With the exception of lung cancer, it is the leading cause of death in men in the country. By age 80, the risk of developing prostate cancer is estimated to be 1 in 7. Despiteincreased public awareness, regular… More

Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin malignancy in the United States. With the exception of lung cancer, it is the leading cause of death in men in the country. By age 80, the risk of developing prostate cancer is estimated to be 1 in 7. Despiteincreased public awareness, regular… More

Chemical warfare agents such as bis-(b-chloroethyl) sulfide (HD) pose a significant threat to U.S. military and civilian populations. Exposure of skin to HD causes burn-like symptoms such as erythema, edema and severe incapacitating vesication(blistering). To combat this threat, prophylactic and/or… More

DESCRIPTION(provided by applicant): During Phase I, human Langerhans cell (LC) lines were obtained by transfecting or infecting LC progenitor cells derived from peripheral blood and bone marrow. The best cell lines were transformed with a well-known viral oncogene and could be… More

DESCRIPTION(provided by applicant): During Phase I, human Langerhans cell (LC) lines were obtained by transfecting or infecting LC progenitor cells derived from peripheral blood and bone marrow. The best cell lines were transformed with a well-known viral oncogene and could be… More

Chemical warfare agents such as bis-(b-chloroethyl) sulfide (HD) pose a significant threat to U.S. military and civilian populations. Exposure of skin to HD causes burn-like symptoms such as erythema, edema and severe incapacitating vesication(blistering). To combat this threat, prophylactic and/or… More

DESCRIPTION: (Verbatim) - Excessive exposure to solar radiation results in erythema (sunburn) and has been linked to premature skin aging, immunosuppression and skin cancer. Despite greater awareness by the public of the harmful effects of exposure to sunlight… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): With the exception of lung cancer in women, the incidence of cutaneous melanoma (CM) is increasing faster than any other cancer. Current estimates are that one of every 75 individuals in the US will contract CM during his or her lifetime. The various stages of… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Phase I research demonstrated that a Langerhans cell (LC) containing model of the epidermis is feasible. LC progenitor cells were harvested from peripheral or cord blood samples, cryopreserved, and matured using cytokines into the LC specific CD1a+ phenotype. … More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Phase I research demonstrated that a Langerhans cell (LC) containing model of the epidermis is feasible. LC progenitor cells were harvested from peripheral or cord blood samples, cryopreserved, and matured using cytokines into the LC specific CD1a+ phenotype. … More

DESCRIPTION (provided by the applicant): The ability to produce skin in vitro with barrier properties equivalent to those of native epidermis remains a much sought after goal. The current proposal will utilize a number of recent improvements in the organotypic culture of… More

Phase I research adapted primary culture methods to obtain a reliable source of normal ectocervico-vaginal (ECV) epithelial and Langerhans precursor (LP) cells. Tissue culture conditions were developed to induce these cells to differentiate into a three-dimensional, organotypic tissue.… More

Phase I research adapted primary culture methods to obtain a reliable source of normal ectocervico-vaginal (ECV) epithelial and Langerhans precursor (LP) cells. Tissue culture conditions were developed to induce these cells to differentiate into a three-dimensional, organotypic tissue.… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Solute distribution between blood and brain is strictly regulated by the blood-brain barrier (BBB) at brain capillary endothelial cells. While the BBB performs an important function in keeping unnecessary or harmful molecules from the brain, it poses a… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Phase I research adapted primary culture methods to obtain a reliable source of normal human buccal epithelial (NHBE) cells. Tissue culture methods were developed to induce the NHBE cells to differentiate into a three-dimensional organotypic tissue.… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Phase I research adapted primary culture methods to obtain a reliable source of normal human buccal epithelial (NHBE) cells. Tissue culture methods were developed to induce the NHBE cells to differentiate into a three-dimensional organotypic tissue.… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The distal airways possess a variety of features, which make them an attractive site for systemic delivery of therapeutics. These include a very thin epithelium, large surface area, avoidance of hepatic first pass metabolism and extensive vascularization.… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) is one of the most common and costly health problems in industrialized countries. Currently more than 100,000 chemicals are in commercial use and another 2,000 new chemicals and numerous new-product formulations are tested or… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): A commercially available in vitro model of human conducting airways (EpiAirway) has been developed and utilized for a variety of basic research and industry drug delivery applications. However, the model has not been formally validated for toxicology applications… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Safety assessment of any new product for human use requires genotoxicity testing to insure that the product is not carcinogenic. Current genotoxicity assays are based on bacterial or non-human cell systems. Such tests are sensitive but give very low specificity… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory and proliferative skin disease that affects 2-3% of the population in Western countries and an estimated 80 million people worldwide. The disease causes disfiguration in 10- 30% of cases and arthiritis in 10-15% of patients.… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Exposure of female reproductive tract to the various chemical agents contained within spermicides, medicaments, microbicides, feminine hygiene and other vaginal care products (VCP) can cause inflammation or tissue damag e and thus endanger the health of women.… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are the two leading chronic respiratory diseases in the US. However, reliable in vitro human models are not widely available to pharmaceutical researchers who are attempting to understand asthma and COPD… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Environmental or intentional exposure to a broad variety of chemical agents can alter normal endocrine function. The effects of these endocrine disruptors (ED) can have serious health implications including deleteriou s effects to reproductive capacity, fetal… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) is one of the most common and costly health problems in industrialized countries. Currently, more than 100,000 chemicals are in commercial use and another 2,000 new chemicals and numero us new-product formulations are tested or… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant):PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE Determination of skin irritation potential is an international regulatory requirement for hazard identification/assessment of chemicals, and is important in establishing procedures for the safe ha ndling, packaging, labeling and transport… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Replacement of the Draize rabbit eye test for ocular irritancy testing remains an elusive goal. Although monolayer cultures and stratified corneal epithelial tissues have been developed and are useful as initial screens for ocular irritancy, they are not capable… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): US Department of Transportation and international regulations require testing of all chemicals for skin corrosivity, which is defined as destruction of human skin at the site of contact. For safe handling and transporta tion purposes, each corrosive is assigned a… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): During Phase 1 research, the effects of 6 model test materials on a highly differentiated vaginal- ectocervical (VEC) tissue model were studied. Effects on tissue viability, structure, barrier function, and inflammatory cytokine release were monitored. Many of… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): As part of a standard toxicological evaluation, all new products must be tested to insure they are not genotoxic. Animal tests are available but European legislation that takes effect in 2009 will ban animal testing. T his legislation will affect almost all… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of the current proposal is to apply state of the art gene modification technology including lentiviral delivery systems and RNA interference technology to commercially available tissue engineered human in vitro models. These models will consist of… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Due to the avoidance of first-pass hepatic metabolism and gastrointestinal irritation, intravaginal administration is an attractive option for systemic delivery of drugs. Current vaginal drug delivery studies are primar ily performed using the FDA-accepted rabbit… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Hazard assessment, including evaluation of acute inhalation toxicity potential, is a mandatory international regulatory requirement for chemicals utilized in international commerce. Acute inhalation toxicity or irritation potential is an important consideration… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Environmental or occupational exposure to a broad variety of chemical agents can alter normal endocrine function. The effects of these endocrine disruptors (ED) can have serious health implications including deleterious effects to reproductive capacity, fetal… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Replacement of the Draize rabbit eye test for ocular irritancy testing remains an elusive goal. Many believe a corneal full thickness (CFT) model is necessary to completely model the interaction of exogenous chemicals with human cornea. During Phase 1, human… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of the current proposal is to apply state-of-the-art gene modification technology, including lentiviral delivery systems and RNA interference (RNAi) technology, to produce commercially available tissue engineered in vitro human models with advanced… More