Award Data

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Alcohol misuse continues to be a major public health problem in the United States, contributing substantially to morbidity, mortality, and social costs. There is a solid body of evidence supporting screening and brief intervention (SBI) for alcohol misuse on both public health and cost-effectiveness grounds, and the practice is endorsed by the U.S. Preventive H ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Effective early intervention depends on reliable identification of risk for communication impairments as soon as possible. Established infant risk factors for communication impairments include poor turntaking, gestures,receptive language, commenting, symbolic play, and speech. Although these risk factors can be detected by 12- 18 mos. and reliably predict later ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal is in response to PA-07-436 Bioengineering Approaches to Energy Balance and Obesity (STTR [R41/R42]) . In this project we will assess a wrist-worn bite counter for monitoring food intake. Specifically,we will evaluate the device across different foods, liquids, utensils and containers to measure its utility for monitoring eating. We will create ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The objective of our grant application is to develop an in vitro model of the blood-brain barrier and assays to examine permeability by using isolated brain microvessels. Unlike capillaries in other organs, brain capillaries establish a barrier that is largely impermeable to polar and larger chemicals, which are due to tight junctions, the absence of both f ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We propose developing a trans-molecular RNA-switch for scientists to measure miRNA activity in-vivo. While there are numerous methods to quantify miRNAs in vitro, we are not aware of any method that allows for in vivo analysis. The ability to observe specific miRNA generation in living single cells without requiring the destruction of the cell would be a signif ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): NUBAD, LLC is a drug discovery company devoted to identifying therapeutic agents that target nucleic acids. This project is designed to synthesize and characterize a novel class of fluorescently-labeled aminoglycosidesthat exhibit a dramatic change in fluorescence upon RNA binding. Aminoglycosides are a potent class of antibiotics that block bacterial protein s ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Prosthetics Our goal is to create a transtibial prosthesis in a kit that can be inexpensively manufactured using modern technology and advanced polymer materials. This system will be immediately fit on the residual limb and aligned for optimal gait without specialized tools or labs. Such a system alleviates the many steps involved with conventional prosthesi ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Extraction of DNA from gels following electrophoresis is widely used to obtain purified size selected DNA fragments from mixtures. The DNA thus obtained is used for cloning and sequencing reactions. Gel extraction is part of next generation sequencing protocols that are becoming the primary source of genetic information. That information is widely used in trans ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Biochemical reactions used in the analysis and manipulation of DNA are important for many applications including forensics, diagnostic genetic testing and biomedical research. Enzymatic reactions to cut and insert DNA into cloning sites underpin many strategies for disease research and for use of microorganisms to express important proteins with medical value. ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Safe and reliable access to major blood vessels and internal organs will be beneficial to patients with cardiovascular disease and cancer. An interventional catheter with ultrasound imaging capability will be developedto enable image-guided access to blood vessels and internal organs. Computer simulations and preliminary data using a transducer similar to that ...