Spring 2022 AB Nexus Grant Awards
New Collaborations
Peter S. Pressman, MD, Department of Neurology, CU Anschutz
Peter W. Foltz, PhD, Institute for Cognitive Science, CU Boulder
This project seeks to improve the diagnosis of dementia through the development of sensitive and usable AI-based tools that analyze speech to enable earlier detection and thus more timely interventions than is in current practice.
Dan LaBarbera, PhD, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, CU Anschutz
Karolin Luger, PhD, Department of Biochemistry, CU Boulder
PARP inhibitors (e.g., Olaparib) have revolutionized the clinical treatment of cancer, particularly breast, ovarian, and pancreatic cancers. However, PARP inhibitors are plagued by significant drug resistance mechanisms. This proposal will execute a new drug discovery and therapeutic strategy to target a protein complex with PARP implicated in cancer.
Rachel S. Friedman, PhD, Department of Immunology & Microbiology, CU Anschutz
C. Wyatt Shields IV, PhD, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, CU Boulder
This project departs from traditional methods of treating type 1 diabetes by using an engineered particle technology to sustainably reprogram islet myeloid cells to resolve inflammation and disrupt the underlying mechanisms of autoimmunity.
Kelly S. Doran, PhD, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, CU Anschutz
Aaron T. Whiteley, PhD, Department of Biochemistry, CU Boulder
Cyclic dinucleotides are crucial signaling molecules in the immune response to pathogens but are notoriously difficult to measure with current methodology. Using a newly developed cyclic dinucleotide biosensor platform, the Whiteley and Doran laboratories will investigate these signaling pathways during pathogenesis of Group B Streptococcus, a leading cause of invasive neonatal disease and meningitis in humans.
Vinaya Manchaiah, PhD, Department of Otolaryngology, CU Anschutz
Anu Sharma, PhD, Department of Speech Language and Hearing Sciences, CU Boulder
Aging-related hearing loss, one of the most common chronic health conditions and a leading modifiable risk factor for dementia, is commonly treated with hearing aids. Our study will compare best practices for hearing aid service delivery models (i.e., professionally fit vs direct-to-consumer vs self-fit) using neurocognitive outcomes, to allow clinicians and patients to make informed hearing healthcare choices.
Carlos Catalano, Pharm.D., PhD, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, CU Anschutz
Theodore Randolph, PhD, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, CU Boulder
Osteomyelitis, or infection of the bone, is an area where multi-drug resistant nosocomial infections are particularly troublesome. This project will develop novel, controlled release formulations of bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria, for osteomyelitis treatment and prophylaxis.
Jill Slansky, PhD, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, CU Anschutz
Xiaoyun Ding, PhD, Department of Mechanical Engineering, CU Boulder
The overarching goal of this project is to identify the biophysical properties associated with antigen-specific T cells that lead to successful adoptive cell therapies for cancer.