Award Data

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Therapeutic stem cell gene transfer relies on long-term gene expression achieved by integration of new DNA into the cellular genome. Current clinical trials featuring oncoretroviruses have encountered a number of roadblocks that include low levels of gene transfer, poor expression, and a recognized preferential insertion near promoter regions that increases the ...

DESCRIPTIONprovided by applicantThe goal of this Fast Track STTR project is to develop a novel CardioPortTM surgical device that will enable minimally invasive beating heart repair without use of cardiopulmonary bypassCPBThere is a critical unmet need for new instruments to improve the surgical repair of heart defects in childrenCurrent best surgical practices involve either open heart surgery wit ...

DESCRIPTION provided by applicant Complete achromatopsia is an autosomal recessive inherited congenital disorder of retinal cone photoreceptors Patients with complete achromatopsia experience extreme light sensitivity and daytime blindness and best visual acuity under non bright light conditions is usually or worse and generally stable over time In addition to poor acuity hypersensit ...

DESCRIPTION provided by applicant The inability to treat many Gram negative bacterial infections effectively with existing antibiotics is a major medical crisis Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a prime example of clinical isolates from critically ill patients are resistant to three or more drugs The overall goal of this project is to address the critical medical need by a novel approach of iden ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Up to 170 million people worldwide are chronically infected with HCV Hepatitis C virus (HCV) putting the infected individuals at significant risk for cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer. End- stage liver diseasecaused by HCV is the leading indication of liver transplantation (LT) in the United States. However, reinfection with HCV occurs universally and ...

ABSTRACT The Zika virusZIKVis the cause of an explosive pandemic of infections across South and Central Americathe Caribbeanand the southeastern region of the United StatesZIKV is a flavivirusa family of small positive strand RNA viruses that includes Dengue virusDENVWest Nile virusWNVYellow fever virusYFVand hepatitis C virusHCVZIKV is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes of the Aedes genusFor the ...

Human respiratory syncytial virus hRSV and human metapneumovirus hMPV are non segmented negative strand viruses NNSV and are the leading causes of acute respiratory tract infections in infants worldwide In addition hRSV is a significant cause of disease in elderly populations and can often be fatal for patients with compromised immune systems Currently no vaccines are available and exis ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In the last decade, Acinetobacter baumannii has emerged as one of the most highly antibiotic-resistant pathogens in the United States (US) and throughout the world. These infections are increasingly prevalent and highlylethal, killing 50-60% of those infected. Worse, strains of A. baumannii that no known antibiotic will kill have now emerged, and will continue ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this project is to synthesize, based on genomic sequence information, a human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) strain with demonstrated ability to establish persistent infection in sero-positive individuals. The resulting synthetic product will form the basis for the development of attenuated HCMV vaccines. Innovative synthetic biology methods will overcome ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Genital herpes is one of the most prevalent sexually transmitted infections worldwide and is associated with substantial morbidity. The impact of genital herpes as a public health threat is amplified because of its epidemiologic synergy with HIV. Epidemiological studies consistently demonstrate that HSV infection increases the risk of HIV transmission and acqu ...