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EpiZode: Noninvasive Seizure Screening in Preclinical Models of Epilepsy There is an urgent need for research into treatment options for epilepsy and other seizure disorders. Animal models are increasingly used to understand disease mechanisms and to screen promising therapeutic approaches. Animal epilepsy model use typically requires expensive and labor-intensive experimentation, with invasive EE ...

Project Summary Immunoregulation, i.e., balanced expression of regulatory and effector T cells, is thought to be compromised in modern high-income settings due in part to reduced contact with commensal and environmentally derived bacteria, also known as “old friends”. Failed immunoregulation is thought to be one factor contributing to recent increases in stress-related and chronic inflammatory ...

The lack of patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) appropriate for youth with neurodevelopmental disabilities (DD) and related cognitive impairments including Down syndrome (DS) poses a significant problem for healthcare research and practice. Parents and other professionals do not identify the same needs as youth, and failure to engage youth with DD in healthcare evaluation compromises healthc ...

Principal Investigators for Small Business: DiscoveryBioMed, Inc. (DBM) and Monell Chemical Senses Center Project Summary Abstract Bitter taste in foods and medicines presents a barrier to overcoming global public health challenges: food insecurity, poor nutritional health, and poor compliance with medication use, particularly among children and the elderly. Sugar and salt, the mainstays to addres ...

The goal of the proposed project is to develop and commercialize a purely mechanical, ratcheting prosthetic finger – the Point Digit – which 1) has an industry leading strength to weight ratio, 2) can be operated unilaterally (one-handed), 3) offers anatomical rotation and flexion around the patient’s metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint, and 4) can be custom-made for each patient using advanced ...

Project Summary: The main goal of this research project is to develop a new line of new stereotaxic devices for small animal research that outperforms existing devices in terms of accuracy, reproducibility, and ease of use. Advancing a tool such as an electrode, injection pipette or optical fiber through a small hole in the cranium, sometimes over long distances, and placing it precisely in a part ...

Obstetricians measure fetal heartrate (FHR) and uterine contractions to evaluate fetal health during pregnancy and labor. This monitoring is performed to decrease the development of complications while minimizing the need for unnecessary obstetric interventions and is especially important for women with high-risk pregnancies. However, many women, especially in rural areas, do not have the time or ...

ABSTRACT Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a highly debilitating disease that affects about 1% of the global population, which increases up to 10% in individuals aged more than 65 years. The life expectancy for these patients is less than 10 years after diagnosis, and no specific drugs are available for pharmacologic treatment. Despite the introduction PDE5, prostacyclin analogs, and endothelin antag ...

PROJECT SUMMARY Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by high blood sugar, which is caused by deficiencies in insulin secretion and/or insulin action. Chronic diabetes can result in complications such as heart and peripheral vascular disease, kidney failure, limb amputation, and blindness and can even contribute to carcinogenesis. Diabetes represents a significant healt ...

Phytodetectors will design and engineer a synthetic biological pump circuit to increase the volume of water produced via photosynthetic desalination. This project builds off previous technology designed by Phytodetectors: a mangrove-inspired ultra-filter that allows plants to purify salt water as well as secrete water with properties comparable to bottled water. The partnership seeks to demonstrat ...