Award Data

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Neural prosthetic devices are artificial extensions to the body that restore or supplement nervous system function that was lost during disease or injury. Particular success has been realized in the cochlear prostheses development. In contemporary cochlear implants, however, the injected electric current is spread widely along the scala tympani and across turns ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Development of an optical brain/nerve stimulator Abstract In a novel technological breakthrough in neural stimulation, our collaborators at Vanderbilt University have developed a new modality that uses low intensity pulsed infrared laser light instead of electrical energy to elicit compound nerve and muscle potentials. Optical stimulation can induce spatially p ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL) is characterized by an indolent clinical course with a median survival of 6- 10 years. The incidence of NHL in the US increases by about 2.5% per year. Clearly, there is a national need for improved therapies for this malignancy. Idiotype-based clinical trials for minimal residual disease of follicular NHL have shown increased disea ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Aegis BioSciences has developed a new and versatile class of anionic, nanostructured hydrogel materials with promising applications in wound care, anti-thrombogenic coatings, and drug delivery. These multi-phase block copolymers are derived from inexpensive, commercially available materials which are subsequently sulfonated. Indeed, growing interest in these ma ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): It is estimated that 2.5 million people in the United States have chronic venous ulcers. In the developed world, at least 0.1% of the adult population is likely to experience venous ulceration at some time. With the overall prevalence, estimated to be between 1.1 and 3.0 incidents per one thousand individuals, occurrence of venous ulcers increases exponentially ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) is associated with a number of serious neurological conditions. Its successful management yields improved outcome for patients, yet ICP can only be measured by placing a device within the cranium through a hole in the skull (yielding invasive ICP, or ilCP), a procedure associated with significant risks and requiring a neuros ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We will develop a disposable, affinity-based capillary tube [AffiTip] that is capable of removing 99% of the interfering bulk protein from < 5 :L of undiluted plasma within 2 minutes for use prior to analysis for biomarkers [specific compounds that link mechanism of action and clinical effectiveness]. The product ultimately will be introduced at a sale price [p ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this program is to develop novel inhibitors of human sphingosine kinase (SK) that are effective as therapeutic agents. Because of its critical role in sphingolipid metabolism, we have focused on SK as an innovative molecular target for the development of new drugs for the treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBDs). Sphingolipids are being incre ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Principal Investigator/Program Director: French, Kevin J. Abstract: The long-term goal of this program is to develop inhibitors of human sphingosine kinase (SK) that are effective as therapeutic agents. Because of its critical role in sphingolipid metabolism, we have focused on SK as an innovative molecular target for the development of new drugs for the treatm ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In spite of advances in medical and surgical treatment, there are at any one time estimated to be some 350,000 individuals in this country whose seizures occur without warning and result in some combination of disordered thinking, impaired consciousness, or loss of motor control. Epileptologists and patients alike have long understood the magnitude of this prob ...