Award Data

DESCRIPTION (provided by investigator): This Small Business Innovation Research proposes to combine the best features of three different technologies: immunoassay, cell culture and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), into one integrated test for environmental detection of the CDC Category A agents. Phase I will comprise development of the biosensor instrument, the test cartridge, reagents, ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of the proposed research is to develop a highly sensitive and specific multi-locus array diagnostic for rapid identification of Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague. This infectious bacterial agent is on the NIAID category A priority list as a potential biological warfare (BW) agent. In order to confirm suspicions that clinical cases may be d ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The recent anthrax attack of 2001 underscored the reality of large-scale aerosol bioweapons attack by terrorist groups. It also revealed that there is an urgent and pressing need to discover and develop novel and potent antimicrobials that can be used therapeutically and prophylactically for biodefense against new bioattacks. The NIH and CDC have identified a ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): TolerGenics, Inc., an entrepreneurial biotechnology company established in 1997, is devoted to the development and commercialization of novel therapies for inducing and maintaining epitope-specific immune tolerance using B-cell delivery strategies. Based on the hypothesis that B-cell antigen presentation of self immunoglobulins would be highly tolerogenic, we ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): One of the most challenging aspects of new vaccine development for viruses, bacteria and parasites is overcoming problems of antigenic variation. The development of vaccines against pathogens, which cause otitis media are being vigorously pursued by many groups, but is complicated in a significant way due to their antigenic diversity. Our incomplete understan ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Successful gene therapy will revolutionize the treatment of the inherited bleeding disorders hemophilia A and B. Hemophilia A is caused by deficiency of coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) and is a prime disorder for genetic correction. The disease constitutes 80% of all hemophilia patients and is the focus of this proposal. The requirements for successful FVIII ge ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): While progress has been made in the discovery and development of drugs to treat HIV infection, significant problems remain, including the development of drug resistance. In order to expand treatment options and reduce the rate of resistance development, drugs that target viral replication at points other than RT and protease are urgently needed. To address thi ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Mammography is currently the gold standard for breast screening. However, the positive predictive value (fraction of cases identified as positive by mammography that truly are positive) is only 20 - 25%. Thus the vast majority of breast biopsies performed are negative. Biopsy is a very unpleasant experience for many, especially when it is a false positive. R ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Malaria causes an estimated 500 million clinical cases and up to 2.7 million deaths annually, is responsible for a loss of greater than 1% of GDP in Africa annually, and is a serious concern for travelers and military personnel. Sanaria's long term goal is to develop and commercialize an attenuated Plasmodium falciparum sporozoite vaccine. In limited trials, ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We previously demonstrated that Spliceosome Mediated RNA Trans-splicing (SMaRT-TM) could repair mutations in the mRNA and protein that cause Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and can restore partial function in cell culture and in vivo models of this disease. Pre-trans-splicing molecules (PTMs) were developed that can trans-splice with efficiencies as high as 17% of cis-spl ...