Award Data

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The long-range goal of this project is to be able to treat effectively plegic stroke victims using a novel therapeutic regimen and robotic device called "AMES," an acronym for Assisted Movement with Enhanced Sensation. In AMES, the patient assists the motion of the robotic device using biofeedback of voluntary joint torque, while the sensation of motion is enh ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Arthropod vector control programs are dependent on timely information about mosquito activity, phenology and distribution that informs integrated pest management decision making. Vector control programs currently utilize trapping technology that targets adult host seeking behaviour (CO2, octenol, lactic acid etc. baited traps, with or without light) or adult ov ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): More than 50% of drugs on the market target G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Among the most important of these are drugs used to treat neurological disorders, such as pain relievers, antidepressants and anti-psychotics, as well drugs used for neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. The relatively recent discovery of a ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Neutrophil recruitment is a central component of inflammation, and there is intense focus on inhibiting the process both for chronic inflammatory disorders and for conditions where inflammation plays a contributory role, such as atherosclerosis. Chemotaxis - the movement of cells aligned with a chemical gradient - is the fundamental process underlying neutrophi ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): There is a strong need in drug discovery for cellular assays that better predict human responses to drugs. A key technical hurdle has been the difficulty of incorporating complex tissue architecture and cellular microenvironments into an assay format that is compatible with the high throughput approaches used for early drug discovery. In this proposal we propos ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): A wide range of individuals cannot communicate by voice. Voice enabled Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices are often the only channel available by which these individuals can communicate. While many voice enabled AAC devices are currently available, they lack the important ability to generate customized speech that mimics aspects of the use ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This is a proposal to build and test a "Smart Telescope," a device for persons with low vision that uses computer vision algorithms to search for, detect and enhance targets such as text and faces to aid in everyday tasks such as travel, navigation and social interactions. The practical, cosmetically acceptable packaging will consist of a miniature camera and v ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Drug-induced QT prolongation is a common cardiac disorder associated with an increased risk for the ventricular arrhythmia torsades de pointes and sudden death. Recognition of this condition has led to increased focus on cardiac toxicity in drug development. The FDA now requires cardiac safety studies prior to drug approval. Since compound development costs a d ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Although it has long been known that macrolide glycosylation is absolutely essential for antibacterial activity, the megalomicins (which differ from erythromycins solely via an additional sugar attached at C6 of the macrolide) were the first macrolides to display notable antiviral and antiparasitic activities. These new activities, unique to the C6-glycosylated ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Epidemiological evidence points to the value of cardiac glycosides like digoxin and digitoxin for treatment of breast cancer and recent reports suggest they may be especially useful to treat non-small cell lung cancer. These and other findings underlie our belief that a cancer drug could be developed from such natural products. A major need in the development o ...