Award Data

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): By the end of 2006, an estimated 23,000 adults and 15,500 children had received cochlear implants in the United States alone (www.nidcd.nih.gov). The complexity of the system as well as confounding factors such as brainplasticity and changing physiology require that these parameters be continually updated to maximize listening performance and user satisfaction. ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The object of this project is to reduce the risk of lead poisoning in children by developing an inexpensive, commercially viable product which permanently reduces soluble (bioavailable) lead levels in soils. Young children in areas with lead-contaminated soil often have blood lead levels exceeding the CDC clinical action level. Elevated blood lead levels in c ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Arphion is a company established to develop noninvasive products that will be used to diagnose, prevent, and treat head and neck and other cancers. 41,000 people are diagnosed with head and neck cancer (HNC) every yearin the United States, with 8,000 deaths. Tens of millions of people in the US are at increased risk for HNC due to exposure to the polycyclic ary ...

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): AuraSense Therapeutics (AST), along with Northwestern University, is applying a recently developed technology using oligonucleotide-functionalized nanoparticles (called spherical nucleic acids or SNAs) to control protein expression. These easily synthesized nanoparticles can have either DNA or RNA shells, and are less than 50 nm in hydrodynamic diameter. SNA co ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The objective of this STTR proposal is to develop a 2-D diffusion point-of-care assay (POC) for B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP). The primary goal of the proposed work is to create a test format that will allow patientswith chronic heart failure to quantitatively self-monitor serum levels of BNP. Determination of baseline level of BNP and changes in this level ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Activation of mature T lymphocytes is a multi-step process requiring both Ag-specific triggering of the TCR complex and co-stimulation mediated through the CD28-CD80/CD86 pathway. CTLA-4 is a critical inhibitor of T cell activation as evidenced by the lethal lympho-proliferation seen in CTLA-4 knockout mice. These signaling pathways play a primary role in T cel ...

? 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): Atrial fibrillation remains the most commonly occurring cardiac arrhythmia. It is associated with a lower quality of life and a higher rate of morbidity and mortality. Cryotherapy and radiofrequency catheter ablations for the purpose of eliminating atrial fibrillation have become a mainstream treatment option. They produce lesions that block the spread of elect ...

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 ...