Award Data

ABSTRACT Hydrocephalus is the buildup of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the cavities (ventricles) deep within the brain. The most common treatment for hydrocephalus is CSF diversion via ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunting. Over 30,000 VP shunts are placed per year in the United States by some estimates. Despite how commonly this surgery is performed, the complication rate has been estimated at almost ...

PROJECT SUMMARY We propose to develop a novel contact, label-free multimodality-based sensing probe that provides real-time intraoperative identification of nerves within the thermal damage threshold range of a surgical tool. The tool will facilitate prevention of direct/indirect nerve damage (termed iatrogenic nerve injury) during surgical procedures, as they are a major source of postsurgical co ...

Summary:The formation of neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) formed by aggregation of the microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and the likely cause of neuronal death. Currently, there are no rational treatments available that directly target NFT formation and thus address the direct molecular cause for AD. Based on our academic research, we will develop a ...

Technical AbstractGenetic mutations have been identified as a causative factor in numerous diseases. The genome editing system CRISPR/Cas9 is a recent development in gene therapy. Both viral and non-viral vectors have been used in attempts to direct delivery of Cas9 to specific locations with advantages and limitations similar to those known for other nucleic acid-based therapeutics. These challen ...

Abstract Current in vitro platforms are poor predictors of the in vivo safety, efficacy and pharmacokinetics of therapeutics, owing to a significant difference in the test conditions compared to physiological conditions. Therefore, drug toxicity testing is routinely performed using animal models. However, animal testing is expensive and time consuming. In addition, ethical concerns about the use o ...

PROJECT SUMMARY To ensure fetal well-being, obstetricians monitor fetal heartrate (FHR) and uterine contractions on a weekly to bi-weekly basis towards the end of pregnancy and during labor. Such monitoring is performed with an electronic fetal monitor (EFM) to decrease the development of complications while minimizing the need for unnecessary obstetric interventions. This is especially important ...

PROJECT SUMMARYSubarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) due to rupture of an intracranial aneurysm leads to delayed vasospasm resulting in neuroischemia (stroke). The overall morbidity (profound neurologic deficit in 10-20% of survivors) and mortality (50%) are high, and the disease affects a relatively young adult population. Therapeutic options to prevent delayed vasospasm and neuroischemia after SAH are c ...

PROJECT SUMMARY:Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is the most common fibrotic lung disease, with 50,000 new cases per year in the United States. IPF if a rapidly progressive and fatal disease, with half of patients dying within 2 years. The disease is heterogeneous, and there is wide variability in responsiveness to existing antifibrotic therapies. Development of new therapeutic agents for IPF a ...

ABSTRACT Many clinical situations, including stroke, expose the brain to insufficient cerebral blood flow (CBF) that cannot maintain normal cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen consumption (CMRO2) requirements, thereby leading to cerebral ischemic/hypoxic stresses and neurological disorders. Effective interventions are dependent on the findings of CBF/CMRO2 improvement and eventually neural recovery. ...

Project Summary The goal of this STTR Phase I project is to demonstrate the feasibility of developing the first universal affinity membrane for the rapid, selective, one-step purification of difficult-to-purify proteins. Despite the urgency for expanding the application of gene editing systems and accelerating vaccine and antibody test development, the rapid purification of critical proteins such ...