Basic Research

Basic Research

The work proposed in this application is a pilot study. The data acquired will be used to build the rationale for a larger application (RO1) to the NIH-NEI. Overall, this study explores the use of a large non-human primate, specifically Baboon pluripotent stem cells to a derive RPC system for translational stem cell therapy investigations. The results obtained will allow for experimental treatment development for naturally occurring non-human primate (Baboon) retina degeneration identified in the local Baboon population. This work will be directly translational to humans.

Our findings will help clarify the signaling pathways associated with the developmental changes and activation of aging processes occurring during muscle over an extended time in vitro. Given this, we will be able to determine the optimal time window when these precursors have the highest potential to efficiently engraft a host muscle. Txbiomed Project: 4673

Current practices for airway management in traumatic injury care are profoundly inadequate. During immediate care of a trauma patient, securing the airway is often the top priority for the attending provider. Studies have shown that tracheal intubation complications occurred in ~20% of attempts. Surgical airways such as cricothyrotomy are often promoted as an alternative, but pre-hospital failure rates ranging from 18-33% suggest this approach is not a viable solution.

Project summary: Fluency in early math concepts, like simple multiplication (e.g., 2x4=8), predicts success in math through high school. Children who do not make the critical transition from calculating arithmetic problems to remembering them as math facts show lower success in school and ultimately poorer quality of life. Models of monolingual arithmetic argue that these arithmetic facts are encoded in verbal memory, making them part of the language system. In turn, bilinguals may only be able to access these facts in the language in which the facts were learned.

A distinguishing trait of heme enzymes is that a high-valent iron-oxo species is the common oxidant for mediating a remarkable array of oxidation reactions. However, the conundrum is that each enzyme in general only promotes a specific type of reaction. How the reaction type is determined after formation of the key oxidant remains to be an unsolved question. Answers to this question have implications for our fundamental understanding of enzyme catalysis as well as de novo enzyme design and protein engineering.

The proposed research direction is the manufacture and characterization of implantable, biodegradable polymer structures with engineered release profiles of drug payloads. These structures can be 3D printed in-house with complex geometries and composite structures, which we hypothesize will dissolve such that selective timing or staged release of one or more compounds is possible. While typically such payloads would be therapeutic in action, this platform technology is drug agnostic and can be used for image enhancement or theranostic applications as well.

Basic Research

Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE) is the most common form of adult acquired epilepsy. Unfortunately, it is frequently resistant to current anti-epileptic drugs and often times surgical therapy is the best available option for these individuals. While genetic mutations and developmental malformations can cause mTLE, it is usually caused by a brain injury such as head trauma, infection, ischemia, prolonged febrile seizures and status epilepticus.