Award Data

Abstract We propose to initiate preclinical development of a gene therapeutic targeted to Alzheimer's Disease. The World Health Organization's and Alzheimer's Disease International's report on Dementia (2012) recognizes that the global burden of AlzheimerDisease is forecast to worsen significantly with prevalence predicted to double every 20 years. Interventions that could prov ...

? DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): NMR is probably the most powerful and widely used analytical technique for structure determination and function elucidation of molecules of all types, but it suffers from low sensitivity, particularly for insoluble biological macromolecules. Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP) with Magic Angle Spinning (MAS) has recently demonstrated S/N gains exceeding t ...

DESCRIPTION provided by applicant This proposal seeks to develop a novel vaccine against Lyme disease by targeting Ixodes scapularis proteins critical for Borrelia burgdorferi transmission from the tick to mammalian host Earlier work has identified four tick proteins Salp TRE tHRF and TSLPI that facilitate different steps of spirochete transmission and immunity against these protein ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. There is a clear need for more effective therapies to treat deadly pancreatic cancer disease. MicroRNAs (miRNA or miR) are a large group of short, noncoding RNAs that control posttranscriptional gene expression in human cells, and there is increasing evidence for the exi ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Several disorders in reproductive medicine are results of changes in smooth muscle contractile activity. Increased myometrial contraction can lead to preterm labor, which affects 12% of the US population. However, the mechanisms involved in the transition from uterine quiescence to contractility at the onset of labor are not well-known. As a result, the managem ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The objective of the proposed project is to advance the development of novel peptides targeting MARCKS (Myristoylated Alanine-Rich C Kinase Substrate) protein as platform drug molecules for the treatment of Acute Lung Injury (ALI) and its more severe form, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), thereby providing the first pharmacologic therapeutic for this ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) and the Surgical Navigation and Robotics Laboratory (SNR) at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) propose to develop and test a Smart Template to guide transperineal targeted prostate biopsiesand subsequent therapy under magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The project aims to solve the problem of poor diagnostic yield in prostate b ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This project proposes to build an integrated software-based system for enhancing the accuracy of tumor change detection. The intent of the system, called AutoRegister, which is to be deployed on a clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner platform, is to automate the alignment of a patient's brain scan with that of a prior scan, such that subseque ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Type 2 diabetes (T2D) has reached epidemic proportions in the United States, affecting an estimated 8.3% of the population. Unfortunately, the majority of individuals with diabetes continue to have suboptimal control ofglucose, therefore new and improved approaches to prevention and treatment are sorely needed. Dr. Mary Elizabeth Patti's laboratory at the ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are becoming frequent occurrences off the coasts of the United States, particularly in coastal waters of New England, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Pacific Ocean. Historically, HABs have beenassociated with fish kills and marine mammal mortalities; however, their effects on human health and economic loss due to HAB contamination of se ...