Award Data

PROJECT SUMMARYMultiple Sclerosis (MS) is the most common neurological disease of early adulthood and is mediated by autoimmune mechanisms that lead to demyelination and neuronal damage in the central nervous system, resulting in progressive neurological dysfunction. Up to date, there is no cure for this devastating disease and current available treatments focus on preventing future immunological ...

Abstract Drug resistance to antiretroviral therapy for HIV infection is a serious clinical problem without cost-effective solutions in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) where standard genotypic resistance assays are unaffordable. Discidiumandapos;s goal is to develop a single tube assay that uses lyophilized reactants, standard PCR and in-tube readout, that can be used as a screening resista ...

ABSTRACT Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, caused by B. pertussis and B. parapertussis, is the only vaccine-preventable infection that remains endemic in the U.S. Since pertussis vaccine- induced immunity is not permanent, the immunized host is vulnerable to re-infection later in life. Worldwide, there are an estimated 24.1 million cases of pertussis, and about 160,700 deaths per year from ...

Precise, customizable drug delivery remains a long-term goal, for HIV in particular, as such technologies would allow therapies tailored to a patient’s biological makeup and potentially improve adherence. Extended-release methods address part of the issue, but face limitations. A novel drug delivery system could offer better pediatric dosing, via both oral and new routes of administration. Exist ...

PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT Drug resistance to HIV is a major threat to achieving long-term viral suppression in HIV+ individuals. Up to 16% of newly infected individuals acquire HIV with resistance to at least one of the major antiretroviral classes, and incomplete viral suppression and virologic failure are often associated with drug resistance. Therefore, current DHHS guideline recommends drug r ...

Developing Vertebrate-Specific Replication-Defective Dengue Virus asa Novel Single-Cycle Dengue Vaccine Candidate Abstract With an estimated minimum of 390 million dengue virus (DENV) infections per year, the DENV epidemic was listed as one of the world's top 10 public health threats by WHO in 2019. At present, there is no specific treatment. A universal vaccine is urgently needed. DENV vaccine de ...

Project Summary Vesicle Therapeutics Inc aims to develop and commercialize a new therapy for homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (hoFH). A majority of hoFH is caused by mutations in both alleles of the gene encoding the LDL receptor (LDLR). Since the efficacy of both statins and PCSK9 antibody therapies largely depends on functional LDL receptors, patients with hoFH show limited responses to ...

PROJECT SUMMARY The National Institutes of Health (NIH) states that diversity in the biomedical research workforce is critical to advancing science, and supports activities that encourages individuals from diverse backgrounds in the biomedical sciences, to pursue further studies or careers in research.(1) The NIH published a Notice (NOT- OD-20-031) on 11/22/19 that African Americans are underrepre ...

PROJECT SUMMARY Deformability and non-adherence are the most intrinsic biorheological properties of red blood cells (RBCs), as they play a critical role in modulating RBC perfusion through the microvasculature. In acquired or inherited blood disorders, such as sickle cell disease (SCD), these two interrelated properties are pathologically altered. SCD is an autosomal recessive disorder associated ...

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Two million Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs) occur per year in the US, killing rt90,000 patients and costing ~$50-100 billion (adjusted by CPI to 2020 dollars). HAIs are the 6th leading cause of death in the US, ahead of diabetes and kidney disease. Reducing HAIs is a top priority of the US Department of Health and Human Services1 and experts have called for novel s ...