Award Data

The leading risk facing our soldiers in Iraq is an improvised explosive device (IED). IED attacks on vehicles create an extreme shock environment that has been linked to Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). While the damage mechanisms that cause TBI remain elusive, several researchers have speculated that the damage mechanisms of stress and strain associated with non-war-related TBI may not sufficiently ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The deliberate release of Bacillus anthracis spores remains an imminent threat both in terms of bioterrorism and biowarfare. Individuals who inhale these spores are at extreme risk of infection and death from anthrax. C urrent prophylaxis and therapy in the event of B. anthracis spore inhalation fall into two categories. Vaccination to protect against future ex ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by investigator): Lyme disease, caused by the gram-negative spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi and transmitted by Ixodid tick species, is the leading vector-borne infectious disease in the United States, with a steady rise in the number of cases reported each year. The most common Lyme disease symptom, the classic bull's-eye rash (erythema migrans or EM rash) in endemic areas, ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This project aims to develop talactoferrin (TLF, recombinant human lactoferrin) as a therapeutic agent to treat prematurely born neonates. The treatment will be given orally shortly after birth to prevent nosocomial inf ections (NIs) due to abnormal bacterial invasion of neonatal intestinal epithelia and consequently to limit systemic bacteremia and necrotizing ...

The pioneering efforts within the DARPA SENSIT and NEST programs, proved the potential of wireless sensor network (WSN) technology for compelling DoD applications, including surveillance and target localization. These projects'' legacies include hardware platforms, used extensively in academic research today and the TinyOS software suite. At the same time, these programs revealed the limitations o ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The specific aim of this study is to develop an add-on module for the ONCAD breast MRI CAD system that will provide radiologists with additional assistance when they have suspicion of the presence of infiltrating lobula r carcinoma (ILC). The proposed research will investigate the possibility of developing, training and evaluating an ILC- specific algorithm tha ...

Multi-core processors pose a significant challenge for software application developers. This is because the vast majority of algorithms and applications have been - and continue to be - developed using methodologies and techniques that assume sequential runtime execution. The key to efficiently and effectively leveraging multi-core processors is the ability to expose, extract, and exploit concurr ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The siRNA molecule needs better protection from nuclease degradation before it can be effectively used as a therapeutic. AM Biotechnologies (AM) will address this critical issue by developing ribonucleoside thiophospho ramidite (ABz, CBz, GIbu and U) reagents that will enable synthesis of phosphorodithioate siRNA (PS2-siRNA). This synthesized PS2-siRNA will si ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Lymph node evaluation is an important prognostic factor in colorectal cancer (CRC) because accurate identification of lymph node metastases significantly influences survival. However, a 30% recurrence rate in patients w ith node-negative CRC clearly indicates that current staging methods are inadequate. The primary form of treatment for all stages of colon canc ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Prostate cancer (PrCa) is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in American men, with over 218,000 new cases diagnosed each year. It is second only to lung cancer in cancer mortality among men, and approximately 1 man in 5 will be diagnosed during his lifetime. When it is detected early, PrCa can be cured. In contrast, patients with metastatic prostate cancer hav ...