Award Data

Environmental DNA from three extreme samples will be isolated, cloned into a fosmid library (5760 clones) for sequencing. The sequencing datawill cover ~ 240 Megabases and will be assembled into contigs long enough (~ 40 Kilobases) to represent potential biosynthetic gene clusters(BGCs). This data will be compared to BGC databases looking for homology to antibiotic targets of DoD interest and with ...

Typical procedures for respirator masks sizing and protective fit test are time-consuming and user intensive, requiring taking anthropometric measurements of the wearer, sampling the wearers breathing zone and the use of specialized tools and equipment. The proposed software app aims to quickly, accurately and automatically perform respirator mask sizing and predict protective fit using only 2D im ...

Alphavirus infection, which may cause encephalitis and death, are recognized as potential biological warfare agents. There are no approved medical countermeasures against diseases caused by Alphaviruses. In this project, thermostable single domain antibodies capable of crossing the blood brain barrier (BBB) and neutralizing encephalitic viruses will be developed using Abzymes proprietary in vivo S ...

Mycotoxins are fungal toxins to which exposure frequently results in incapacitation or even in death. Natural outbreaks of mycotoxin poisoningare common worldwide. Due to its physical-chemical properties, high toxicity and relative ease to produce, mycotoxin T-2 is classified as apotential biological warfare agent. Currently there are no FDA approved medical countermeasures available for T-2 mycot ...

Aflatoxins are a paradigm among fungal produced mycotoxins that are present in food supplies and are strongly associated with increased risk forthe development of hepatocellular carcinoma. Currently, there are no known countermeasures that can selectively mitigate aflatoxin toxicity andthe available options are only symptomatic treatments. To meet this challenge, we propose to harness the microbio ...