Award Data

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 ...

Project Summary Pre-clinical and pre-field toxicology testing of new drugs and chemicals does not routinely include direct assessment of human developmental neurotoxicity (DNT). Current standards for DNT testing require use of animal models with limited throughput and significant differences from human central nervous system (CNS) development. As such, many chemical products have required post-app ...

Pediatric limb loss, although relatively infrequent compared to adults, results in substantial hardship for children and their families. The principal business interest? iFIT Prosthetics, LLC®? successfully developed and manufactured innovative, fully adjustable, transtibial and transfemoral prosthetic devices, and demonstrated their safety, comfort, and functionality in adults. Made of injection ...

PROJECT SUMMARYMicroprocessor-controlled ankles have been shown to substantially improve mobility and stability in individuals with lower limb amputation, but these devices are typically only available to higher mobility users due to a lack of scientific evidence to justify insurance reimbursement. As such, many of the individuals with lower limb amputation that have the greatest need for advanced ...

PROJECT SUMMARY The American Academy of Dermatology reports that 1 in 4 Americans (~84.5 million) are impacted by skin disease. Skin disease is the fourth leading cause of disability worldwide, significantly impacts quality of life, and costs ~$75 billion annually to treat. Skin conditions like atopic dermatitis (AD) are commonly diagnosed by practitioners using clinical history and physical exam ...

PROJECT SUMMARY Despite a growing need for smoking cessation services, Latino smokers face notable disparities in cessation treatment. Consequently, there is a big opportunity, both from a scientific and a business perspective, to develop and test the most optimal culturally tailored approaches to enroll and engage Latino Smokers into cessation programs. The Kick Buts program owned by Agile Health ...

PROJECT SUMMARY In drug Randamp;D it is critical to be able to understand toxicity and to identify and eliminate overly toxic candidates. However, there is a significant technological gap for in vivo toxicity testing. To address this challenge, we developed a novel imaging-based approach that detects toxicity-induced tissue injury in a minimally invasive, whole body and dynamic fashion. The invent ...

PROJECT SUMMARY Kennedy’s disease also known as spinobulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease caused by genetic polyglutamine expansion of the androgen receptor (AR). Recent research has shown that the mutant AR protein misfolds, aggregates, and abnormally interacts with other proteins, leading to hormone-dependent lower motor neuron degeneration and skeletal mus ...

Abstract: With the increased use of mobile health apps to improve health outcomes, protecting private health data is becoming increasingly important. Researchers estimate there are over 300,000 mHealth apps in existence, and some relate to HIPAA covered entities or their business associates. With patients’ increasing desire for data accessibility and app data sharing, it is critical to ensure th ...

Pediatric limb loss, although relatively infrequent compared to adults, results in substantial hardship for children and their families. The principal business interest― iFIT Prosthetics, LLC®― successfully developed and manufactured innovative, fully adjustable, transtibial and transfemoral prosthetic devices, and demonstrated their safety, comfort, and functionality in adults. Made of injec ...