Award Data

SCI incidence ranges from 250k-500k globally/year, with rt7M people impacted. Currently rt300k U.S. individuals live with SCI. SCI results in life-altering consequences in terms of morbidity, mortality, functional status, employment, and quality of life. For quadriplegics with cervical injuries, even basic ADLs are severely compromised. Individuals learn assistive strategies for ADLs such as eatin ...

ABSTRACT We are developing and sensor, the X-VISUAL (X-ray Visualized Indicator for Screw bending Under Applied Load), to track fracture healing in canulated screws used to treat hip fractures. Hip fractures are a major public health concern with high in-hospital mortality rate. Approximately 330,000 hip fixation procedures are performed annually in the US. The average hip fixation hardware failur ...

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACTAfrican American men have the highest rate of hypertension (HTN) in the United States. Once diagnosed, they are also less likely to achieve blood pressure (BP) control. This health disparity is critical, as elevated BP is the primary modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease. One reason for this HTN disparity: stress. African Americans report more stress than their ...

Project Summary/Abstract The Tiny Cargo Company offers a unique, orally administered medical countermeasure for treatment and prevention of the gastrointestinal (GI) side effects of cancer radiation therapy (RT). Our therapeutic is comprised of milk-derived extracellular vesicles (mEVs) loaded with a safe and highly effective radioprotective drug – a formulation that we call Milactatm. RT compli ...

ABSTRACT Background: In the U.S., over 200,000 girls and women age 0-49 are diagnosed with cancer annually. While improved diagnosis and treatment have led to increased survival rates (75% in premenopausal and 85% in childhood cancer patients), devastating side effects of cancer therapies include premature ovarian failure, infertility and menopause-related health risks. The current industrial stan ...

Abstract Meniscus tears are among the most common orthopedic injuries, with about 1 million occurring in the United States each year and growing at a rate of 5% annually. Shortcomings associated with the current standard of care leaves a clinical need for a new treatment option. The meniscal tissue can only be repaired in limited cases due to its healing capacity, so the most common treatment for ...

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT This project proposes the development of technologies to provide low-cost monitoring of phenylalanine (Phe) levels in the blood by a simple, noninvasive, at-home urine test, in order to enable daily monitoring by individuals with phenylketonuria (PKU). Also known as phenylalanine hydroxylase deficiency, PKU is a rare inborn error of metabolism that occurs in the US at a fr ...

Project SummaryIn the US, over 63% of babies do not receive developmental surveillance. Furthermore, despite increased developmental surveillance, 10% or less of babies with developmental delays (DD) (approximately 140,000) are being correctly identified and receive the early intervention (EI) they need. Developmental surveillance can identify developmental delays (DD) to support early interventio ...

PROJECT SUMMARY Savior Brain’s SoftShox is the world’s first wearable hydraulic shock absorber. SoftShox uses liquid momentum transfer to dissipate impact energy, resulting in dramatically reduced linear and rotational forces for a given impact event. Brain injuries, including nearly 4 million concussions per year, are common among the nearly 40 million participants in organized youth sports i ...

ABSTRACT Adhesion formation after intra-abdominal surgery poses a significant health risk, cited as a leading cause of small bowel obstruction and female infertility. Methods to prevent these adhesions are currently limited to barrier films, which are difficult to place and are often restricted to use preventing adhesions to the surgical incision site, leaving the bulk of the abdominal contents un ...