Award Data

Abstract. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive fibroproliferative disorder affecting ∼3 million people worldwide with function-limiting progressive symptoms and a 2-3 year median survival time from diagnosis. While the etiology of IPF is not clear, genetic factors, environmental exposures and microbial pathogens have been identified as IPF risk factors. Pirfenidone and nintedanib ...

Abstract The success of cohort studies such as the NIDDK Kidney Precision Medicine Project (KPMP) with its massive amount of samples depends on the cost and time-efficient evaluation of kidney biopsies at multiple scales. Assessing the structure of kidney tissue at the nanoscale (~10 nm) and evaluating the 3-D distribution of protein biomarkers in that context is, however, currently severely limit ...

Abstract Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia and fourth most common cause of death. Amyloid-beta (Aβ) plays a crucial role in initiation and progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Removal of circulating Aβ would shift the equilibrium in Aβ levels between brain and blood towards blood. This shift would deplete brain amyloid levels and improve memory. Three commercial m ...

PROJECT SUMMARY Loss of O6-methylguanine methyltransferase (MGMT) expression is common in cancers and confers sensitivity to DNA alkylators, such as temozolomide (TMZ). Epigenetic silencing of MGMT via promoter hypermethylation is found in ~50% of glioblastomas (GBMs), and in most lower grade gliomas with isocitrate dehydrogenase-1/2 (IDH1/2) mutations. MGMT is also silenced in other cancers, incl ...

ABSTRACT Antibodies (Abs) are commonly employed in biomedical research to identify and quantify target proteins. However, the specificity, sensitivity and reliability of these Abs can be variable, which is a significant concern in the scientific community. The use of an incorrect Ab can result in misleading or inaccurate results, impeding progress in various areas of biomedical research. In Phase ...

Abstract Alara Imaging, Inc. (Alara) is seeking funding to support the development of robust, IP-protected, HIPAA- compliant commercial quality software to calculate and report on quality measures that will be reported for every radiologist and hospital group in the nation. Further, Alara is seeking funding to develop enhanced feedback that leverages machine learning, data visualization, and bench ...

PROJECT SUMMARY AtlasXomics Inc. is commercializing the next generation of spatial biology tools to help researchers understand the epigenetic mechanisms of disease. The goal of this SBIR grant is to commercialize a product suite of hardware, consumables, and software to spatially interrogate tissue and generate a new layer of data for better understanding gene expression modulation in tissue. The ...

Project Summary: Narcotic use in pain management of underserved minority populations and minority United States veterans has played a major role in the ongoing opioid crisis. According to the NIH, veterans are more susceptible to opioid addiction and are 40% more likely to suffer from severe chronic joint pain then non-veterans. Over the next decade, the percentage of minority veterans will increa ...

SUMMARY Arboviruses present a constant threat to human and animal health worldwide. They are transmitted by hematophagous arthropods, primarily mosquitoes. One of them, Aedes aegypti, is the primary vector of several widely spread arboviruses such as Zika, dengue and West Nile viruses, and for most of them, human-licensed vaccines do not exist or are suboptimal. These pathogens are transmitted int ...

Abstract: Non-Tuberculosis Mycobacteria (NTM) are responsible for widespread, life threatening infections of the lungs, skin, lymphatic and hematological systems. The rapid, global spread of resistant organisms has significantly reduced the number of agents that can be used effectively to treat these infections. Of specific clinical relevance are the slow-growing Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) ...