Award Data

Abstract Lamininrelated congenital muscular dystrophyLAMACMDalso known as Merosin Deficient Congenital Muscular DystrophyMDC Ais a fatal muscle wasting disease that affects patients from birthLAMACMD results from mutations in the LAMAgene resulting in loss of lamininproteinLamininis required for the formation of the heterotrimers lamininand lamininwhich are major constituents of the skeletal and c ...

Project Summary Atrophic dry age related macular degeneration AMD is the leading cause of severe loss of vision for those over age Dietary supplements containing lutein and zeaxanthin are recommended by the NEI for those at risk of late AMD There has been a corresponding growth in demand for these two xanthophylls Lutein and zeaxanthin are currently sourced from marigolds grown mostl ...

DESCRIPTION provided by applicant Duchenne muscular dystrophy is caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene resulting in the loss of the dystrophin glycoprotein complex in skeletal muscle Loss of dystrophin results in reduced sarcolemmal integrity progressive muscle damage and compromised muscle function There is currently no cure and limited treatment options for DMD and all affected child ...

DESCRIPTION provided by applicant Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy DMD is a fatal muscle disease affecting in every male births DMD results from mutations in the gene encoding the dystrophin a kDa scaffolding protein responsible for providing a mechanical link between the muscle fiber actin cytoskeleton and a transmembrane protein complex called the dystrophin associated glycoprotein ...

DESCRIPTION provided by applicant The number of Lyme disease cases in the US has been recently estimated by the CDC at cases year This is major public health concern Currently available diagnostics rely on detection of the antibody response serology to Borrelia burgdorferi the causative agent of Lyme disease However serological tests are not accurate during the early stages of Ly ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Invasive candidiasis (IC) is one of the most serious threats to patients in a critical setting. With as many as 60,000 cases per year in the U.S., the total cost associated with IC in the U.S. may be as high as 2-4 billion/year. One of the most critical factors influencing patient outcome is early diagnosis. The goal of this project is a rapi and inexpensive i ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Currently up to 50% of HIV infected individuals including those taking antiretroviral therapy have mild neurocognitive disorder. Furthermore, the population living with HIV infection continues to grow and there are now over one million people living with HIV in the US and 42 million around the world. This indicates that persistent HIV associated cognitive impai ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this project is to produce "humanized" livers in large animal models such as sheep and pigs that can serve as a reliable source of significant numbers of functional human hepatocytes. The isolated human hepatocytes and/or "humanized" livers can be used for drug toxicity studies as well as for possible clinical use in patients with liver failure. Tra ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Presently, there exists no simple minimally invasive test, such as a blood test, that can differentiate patients affected by Alzheimer's disease (AD) from healthy individuals. Our long-term goal is to develop new strategies for determining prognosis or predicting response to therapy. This will provide tools to improve clinical decision-making in the care of AD ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AchEI) are currently the most broadly used drugs to treat AIzheirmer's disease (AD). Unfortunately none of the beneficial effect lasts for more than a short two years time period, probably due to the progressive degeneration of the cholinergic neurons. This indicates that aiming at the same time at another target distinct to ...