In the U.S. alone, 2.8 million people sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI) each year and seek medical care.1,2 However, there are no FDA approved therapies for effective treatment of TBI (or concussion) patients. Current medications are limited to only reducing secondary damage to the brain following TBI, such as using diuretics to reduce the pressure inside the brain by increasing urine output.

Cell-type specific manipulation of neural circuits is required for the treatment of neurological disorders such as epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease. Precise control of neural circuits will enable the development of neuromodulation therapies for these debilitating conditions. Existing technologies to control neural activity offer limited possibilities.

The objective of this proposal is to develop and characterize a novel Nanopore Microneedle Array that will enable cell transformation. Transformation will be enacted on 3D tissue volumes through cell electroporation and electrophoretic introduction of genetic material, causing a change in cell phenotype. In the proposal, the initial fabrication, testing, and proof-of-concept is described. Fabrication will be conducted at the Microelectronics Research Center on the J. J. Pickle Research Campus of the University of Texas at Austin.

Profiling MMV portfolio compound activity against the complete P. berghei liver stage.Scope includes compound screenings and portfolio compound testing where data will be delivered within 2 weeks of the end of the test run.

Many genes including those associated with viral infections undergo differential splicing in different human populations. The aim of this study is to identify and quantify these differences and investigate their role in differential antiviral immunity among human populations.

The major goal of this project is to use a new tool like CRISPR/Cas13d to cleave HIV RNA. An HIV RNA-targeting strategy that efficiently and simultaneously targets multiple conserved sites , will result in the eradication of HIV from the cells.

In 2017, an estimated 10 million people developed TB disease, demonstrating an urgent need for new approaches to therapy, including host-directed therapy (HDT), to halt infection and progression of active TB. To this end, the overall goal of our ongoing research program is to identify intracellular ?master regulators? of inflammation and metabolic intermediates that dictate human macrophage responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection as a strategy to identify potential host cell targets for HDT.

The objective of this research proposal is to further prove the concept that peptide mimics of the protective epitopes of PI-LPS are sufficient to confer protective immunity against C. burnetii aerosol infection. As a subcontract, Dr. Zhang will provide expert advice and guidance in experimental designing, data interpretation and problems solving as needed by ZenVax LLC in support of this project. In order to facilitate the ZenVax LLC’s effort to develop a mimotope vaccine against Q fever, Dr.

Coxiella burnetii is an obligate intracellular Gram-negative bacterium that causes acute and chronic Q fever in humans. There is an urgent need to create a safe and effective vaccine for prevention of human Q fever. However, the mechanisms of vaccine-induced immunity against C. burnetii natural infection remain unclear. The long-term goal of this project is to develop a safe and effective vaccine against Q fever.

Presidents of San Antonio’s four largest research institutions today announced they are providing $800,000, collectively, for a major initiative in precision therapeutics. The process of precision therapeutics ultimately leads to breakthrough treatments that can be individualized to specific patient populations.