Award Data

Abstract Significance: Trichotillomania (TTM), characterized by repeated pulling of one’s hair to the point of hair loss or thinning, produces impairment in physical, social, psychological and occupational functioning. While evidenced-based treatments (EBTs, i.e. self-monitoring, stimulus control, and Habit Reversal Training (HRT)) do exist, access is limited due to lack of trained treatment pro ...

AbstractHistone modifications carry rich information of cellular memory and gene regulatory mechanisms. Single cell analysis of histone modification in conjunction with transcriptome could recover this critical layer of cell identity and help to dissect the cellular and molecular composition of complex tissues such as the brain. We recently developed an ultra-high throughput single cell multi-omic ...

Project Summary Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by intrusive, distressing thoughts (obsessions) in response to which an individual feels compelled to perform a repetitive behavior (compulsions), which are performed in order to reduce the acute distress experienced by the patient but which perpetuate OCD symptoms. Effective treatment requires accurate reporting of compulsive be ...

Project Summary/Abstract (30 lines) In the United States, 15 million children and adolescents need psychological services; yet only one-third receive psychological services of any kind. Even fewer receive care that is consistent with evidence-based guidelines for best practices. This gap has widened dramatically with the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of children, c ...

Abstract This project aims to develop the 2P-ActivityScope™, a revolutionary new microscope based on a technological breakthrough called second-generation Scanned Line Angular Projection (SLAP2) two photon laser scanning microscopy that was recently developed by Dr. Kaspar Podgorski (Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA). The game-changing innovation in the 2P-Ac ...

Project Abstract/SummaryThe goal of this CRP application is to successfully commercialize a brain MRI technology that feeds back head motion measurements derived from our Framewise Integrated Real-Time MRI Monitoring (FIRMM) software to MRI scan participants in order to reduce head motion via behavioral training. Because MRI scanning produces high-resolution images and does not expose patients to ...

Abstract Brain function is regulated by molecular signaling and metabolism, however, our ability to track neurometabolic transformations deep in the brain is very underdeveloped compared to the central role of neurometabolism in neurodegenerative disease or brain function in general. In this Phase I SBIR, it is our goal to establish and refine emergent hyperpolarization technology as an inexpensiv ...

Abstract Gene therapy applications based on adeno-associated virus (AAV) have demonstrated promise in clinical applications for the treatment of diverse genetic diseases highlighted by the recent FDA approval of AAV vector formulations as new drugs for ocular and neurological diseases. In these instances, along with all applications of clinical AAV gene therapy to date, constitutive transcription ...

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 ...

Cancer patients benefit from radiation therapy but can incur side effects to normal tissues including the ocular lens, leading to cataracts. Although not directly life threatening, cataract disease has major medical, economic, and social impacts on individuals, families, and society as a whole. Radiation-induced lens opacification is a complex event and has been attributed to DNA double strand bre ...