Award Data

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The ability to culture human embryonic stem cells generated a great deal of excitement about their vast potential for treating a variety of human diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, neurological, retinal and skin disorders to name a few. Unlike adult stem cells, embryonic stem cells have indefinite growth potential and the potential to develop into any t ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The overall goal of this project is to design and build cameras that can efficiently detect and image isotopes that have gamma rays with energies that are typically beyond those effectively accessible with conventional cameras. There are no nuclear medicine clinical cameras, today, that combine high efficiency with the ability to image high-energy gamma rays. ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Infection remains as one of the major complications associated with utilizing biomaterials. Surgical site infections account for approximately 14-16% of the 2.4-million nosocomial infections in the United States, with these infections resulting in increased patient morbidity and mortality. The inherent bulk properties of various biomaterials, including those th ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Our aim is to develop an inexpensive and portable nanotechnology-based immunosensor and instrument platform for rapid detection of presence or exposure to bioterror agents in air, water, contaminated surfaces, forensic samples, food and body fluids through identification of protein toxins and microorganisms. The proposed approach employs single or multiple coni ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The death rate due to respiratory disease has increased nearly 20% in the United States since 1979, surpassing virtually all other types of disease. Adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) alone afflicts approximately 150,000 patients every year with a mortality rate between 30 and 70%. Current treatment is limited to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECM ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) is a cost-effective and rapid procedure that uses a syringe to sample fluid from a cyst or remove clusters of cells from a solid mass for diagnostic purposes. The effectiveness of FNAB is operator-dependent and the diagnostic yield can be low, especially for adipose-rich and masses where the percentage of non-diagnostics asp ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This Phase II project will complete the development and study of a computer-based product intended primarily for teaching children with intellectual disabilities. The product, "SymbolTeacher," addresses a pivotal skill - symbolic matching to sample - which is a target of many current programs for teaching this population. In a symbolic matching task, students a ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Clinicians and investigators alike rely on tests of attention and memory in a host of fields -- among them psychology, neurology, psychiatry, pediatrics, gerontology, and epidemiology. Yet one segment of the population has been passed by in these assessment efforts: individuals who have limited verbal communication abilities, a group that includes persons with ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Special educators and clinical professionals who serve individuals with developmental disabilities such as mental retardation or autism routinely rely on behavioral observation for critical information. This STTR application seeks funds to support the development of the Praxis Behavioral Observation Software (PBOS), a tool to enhance the efficiency and accuracy ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Approximately 80,000 Americans sustain acute tears of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) of the knee each year, with associated healthcare costs estimated at roughly 1 billion dollars annually. Surgical reconstruction followed by an extended rehabilitation period is commonly recommended for ACL tears. The purpose of this STTR project is to develop a comprehen ...