Award Data

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goals of this project are twofold: a) to develop a new technique for nanoscale Mass spectrometry imaging based on AFM based tip enhanced IR ablation (nanoIR-MS). b) to apply this technique towards the application ofSingle cell imaging. Information on the chemical composition within a cell has implications in the understanding of cell metabolism, division, d ...

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): Premature, very-low-birth-weight (VLBW; d1500 g) and low-birth-weight (LBW; 1500-2499 g) infants are at increased risk for long-term encephalopathy. 25-50% of the 63,000 VLBW infants born annually in the U.S. have majorlong-term cognitive or neurobehavioral deficits. Postnatal cerebral ischemia appears to play an important role in long-term cognitive sequelae. ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Congenital heart diseases (CHD) are the most common serious congenital anomalies and the leading cause of death due to birth defects. Clinical practice relying on physical examination of the newborn before discharge from the nursery often misses newborns with critical CHD (CCHD), which can lead to death or long-term morbidities. Using pulse oximetry (PO) can im ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Neuron-cell culture is widely used for studies in basic research, drug discovery, and toxicity testing. Traditional random cultures allow limited access to subcellular compartments (axons, dendrites, synapses) due to extensive and haphazard growth of neurons. Our long-term goal is to provide robust, user-friendly, and cost effective culture platforms that can o ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Nonlinear optical microscopy techniques (such as two-photon florescence) are being used to acquire volumetric (i.e. three dimensional) images that probe several hundred microns into scattering tissue. These techniques are being combined with fast acquisition schemes to allow imaging of live, moving specimens at high NA. This combination allows for high-resoluti ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Congenital cardiovascular defects, specifically single ventricle abnormalities, constitute the most common cause of death among infants born with birth defects. Even after surgically rerouting the single ventricle circulation via the Fontan procedure, the circulation in these patients relies on blood flowing passively through the lungs. Thus, this group of pati ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Diabetes mellitus (DM) leads to a 3-4 fold higher risk of experiencing ischemic stroke. In addition, DM stroke patients are more prone to develop more and earlier white matter (WM) high-intensity lesions than non DM stroke patients. Treatment of stroke with tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) at 2-3 hours after stroke decreases lesion volume in non-DM rats. How ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Though not specifically FDA-approved for this indication, topiramate is among the most effective medication treatments for alcohol dependence. Topiramate is rarely used to treat alcohol dependence, however, because it has prominent side effects including somnolence, dizziness, and cognitive disturbances that require gradual dose titration. Many patients stop ta ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Expansion of the trinucleotide repeat CGG in the FMR1 gene causes dysregulation of FMR1 protein expression and results in a host of serious conditions, from cognitive impairment, autism, ovarian failure, and progressiveneurological disorders. Over 1.5 million Americans harbor expanded repeat regions, and 10 million are indicated by symptoms or family history to ...