Award Data

Fluorescent nanoparticlesFNPare becoming increasingly popular in biomedical imaging and taggingCompared to molecule based fluorophoresFNP are typically brighter and more photostableThey can be functionalized with more than one tagging moleculeused for the tagging and tracing of specific moleculescellstissuesBrighter fluorescence facilitates more sensitive labelingand in many casesa lower limit of ...

Most standard-of-care tools and techniques for evaluating neck disorders are subjective, unreliable, and do not provide actionable information for providers, payers, and organizations to deliver efficient and effective care. This lack of objective neck he

PROJECT SUMMARY Genomic instabilityinduced by DNA damageand partly mitigated by DNA repair and antioxidantsplays a critical role in the pathogenesis of many major human diseasessuch as neurodegenerationcancer and cardiovascular diseasetogether with agingThere is a critical need for automated assays that can perform these assessmentsand bring them into greater routine usewhich will help advance our ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Project Summary We propose to develop a non-invasive method to predict mammalian oocyte quality by analyzing the surrounding cumulus cells' gene expression patterns (cGEP). The result of the cGEP assay---a cGEP score---can be used to predict embryo quality and ultimately the embryo transfer (ET) results. This technology, if success, will for the first time ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Methamphetamine use among gay and bisexually identified men (GBM) and other men who have sex with men (MSM) is strongly associated with HIV infection due to the concomitant high-risk sexual behaviors that often occur while using the drug. As a result, HIV prevalence is significantly higher among MSM that report frequent use of methamphetamine and highest among ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Over 7.5 million high school students participate in high school sports programs and an additional 2 million students join these athletic teams each year. Adolescent athletes are at risk for using performance enhancing drugs, such as anabolic steroids, unregulated sport supplements, and illicit drugs and alcohol. Unfortunately, few evidence-based substance abus ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Therapy to Improve Wound Healing with DNA Expression Vector for HIF 11 and Electroporation Impaired wound healing is a tremendous problem for individuals with diabetes. Patients with diabetes are at risk for developing foot ulcers. These non-healing ulcerations on the foot are disabling, and their progression leads to amputation of the lower extremity. Diabetes ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Methamphetamine (MA) dependence is associated with neuropsychiatric side effects that make the addiction extremely challenging to treat. Patients seeking treatment experience ongoing impairments in cognition, mood, and motivation. Currently, there are no FDA-approved pharmacotherapies for MA dependence. The goal of this proof-of-concept research project is test ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): There is a compelling need to develop therapeutic approaches specifically designed to reduce neurological deficits after stroke. Human umbilical cord blood cells (HUCBCs) treatment dose-dependently improves functional outcome after stroke. UCBCs are associated with a lower risk of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), and UCBCs are younger than adult bone marrow st ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): While there is no doubt smoking is a direct causative factor underlying the development of lung cancer, not every smoker develops lung cancer. In fact, only 10-15% of smokers develop this disease, indicating that otherfactors make certain individuals more susceptible to cancer. A number of single nucleotide polymorphisms are known to correlate with the developm ...