Award Data

At the completion of the research and development effort a Li foil multi-wire proportional counter (MWPC) neutron detector with more than 625 cm^2 of active area will be included in a portable radiation detection system. The system is expected to have an intrinsic thermal neutron detection efficiency of 55% or greater and gamma-ray rejection ratio (GRR) of 1.0x10^-8 or better. A gamma-ray spectrom ...

DESCRIPTION provided by applicant This proposal will assess the quantitative capabilities of surface enhanced Raman scattering SERS detection of cocaine and marijuana metabolites in urine samples Combining low cost instrumentation and novel chemical sensing provides an innovative new approach for diagnosing illicit drug use Current methods use a colorimetric indicator to screen specimens fo ...

DESCRIPTION provided by applicant FasCure Therapeutics focuses on the development of adjuvant systems to generate prophylactic and therapeutic immune responses The major objective of this Phase STTR proposal is to reformulate a lead plague subunit vaccine with a novel adjuvant system to improve its protective efficacy Yersinia pestis is the causative agent of bubonic and pneumonic plague ...

DESCRIPTION provided by applicant Bipolar disorder BD is a complex chronic illness characterized by recurrent often dramatic mood changes Self management of BD is an important component of treatment but is likewise complex and can be fraught with difficulties including misunderstanding of the condition and a lack of self awareness Combined with the nationwide shortage of mental healthcare ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Treatment of alcohol use disorders (AUDs), commonly referred to as alcoholism, has been hampered by alcohol's promiscuous pharmacological effects and the complex etiology of addiction. People drink in excess for a variety of reasons, and an approach that targets more of these reasons will have greater commercial success than an approach that only targets a sole ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The main objective of this proposal is to develop a novel cancer vaccine, ApoVax-SVN(tm) based on the use of a proprietary costimulatory chimeric ligand, 4-1BBL, designed to specifically deliver survivin, a tumor associated antigen (TAA) to professional antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and activate them for the generation of an effective anti-tumor immune respon ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Alcoholic liver damage (ALD) is among the top ten causes of death in the USA, but existing therapeutic interventions are relatively ineffective. Hepatocytes are susceptible to damage probably because they have a high level of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) which metabolizes alcohol to form acetaldehyde and reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are both cytotoxic. C ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Alcoholism is a complex disease and anti-relapse treatments should recognize this. For example, depression is a frequent precipitant of relapse (1) and is the most common co-morbid psychiatric disorder in alcoholism. An anti-relapse agent with antidepressant properties might therefore be valuable, specifically for this large subpopulation. In this regard, the ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS) is one of the most powerful and versatile eukaryotic expression systems. The BEVS is being used to produce antigens for vaccine development, to manufacture human therapeutics, to develop faster acting biological insecticides, and as a protein expression system for a multitude of research projects. However, a limit ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The major barriers to preventing or treating Alzheimer's disease (AD) are its unknown pathogenesis/etiology and the lack of an objective, sensitive and specific biomarker of the disease, particularly at the early stages when therapeutic interventions would likely have the greatest efficacy. The basic hypothesis of this proposal is that levels of a novel protein ...