Immunotherapeutic drugs have been found to be effective in treating several types of cancer. However, lasting responses are reported in less than 30% of patients.

The $99,311 award will help advance the development of a novel compound that has been shown to enhance the efficacy of existing immunotherapy treatments. 

Department of Microbiology and Immunology

The preservation of cells, tissues and organs is commonly required in the fields of biological research and clinical medicine. Cryoprotectant agents (CPAs) are generally used to improve the post-thaw viability of cryopreserved biological samples.

Current CPAs are commonly applied at high extracellular concentration in order to assure a reasonable deliver into cells. At high concentrations, these CPAs are often toxic and always require careful removal during post-thaw processing.

The $70,000 reward (with a $70,000 match from an industry sponsor) will advance a novel pore-forming molecule which temporarily alters cell permeability, allowing low-cost, non-toxic, low concentration CPAs to be effectively delivered across cell membranes.

Department of Chemistry

Internal suturing is a necessary procedure during many surgeries. Sutures must be placed quickly and consistently to manage costs and avoid patient risks. Some surgeons choose to utilize staplers which save time but introduce additional complications.

The $99,390 award will assist in creating an intracorporeal auto-suturing device which promises to increase surgical efficiency and safety while reducing the suturing learning curve for young surgeons.

Department of Urology

Wind energy technology needs improved energy production and higher reliability to maintain/grow market share and to reduce the cost of its production.  Design innovations to improve wind turbine performance (energy production), system reliability, required infrastructure and maintenance reduces the overall usage costs.

The turbine blades affect all these factors, since they are the main tools that convert wind energy into mechanical motion. Current blade design prevents the wind turbine from being used to full potential.  However, modifying the design could increase production by 11% for a commercial wind turbine.

The $94,362 award will help Hall and his post-doctoral student Hamid Khakpour with the design of a new wind turbine blade with active morphing twist capability to increase wind turbine performance and reliability.

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an important tool used extensively in clinical medicine. Approximately 40 million MRI scans are performed annually in the US, 40% requiring the use of a contrast agent to enhance imaging.

All FDA approved contrast agents currently use gadolinium (Gd), a rare earth element once considered safe, but is now linked to Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis. The FDA and EMA have become increasingly concerned about Gd deposits in brain tissue, bone and skin of patients with multiple exposures and have placed restrictions on the use of Gd contrast agents.

Morrow’s team will use the $49,735 award to develop a new MRI contrast agent which replaces Gd with iron-derived compounds.

Department of Chemistry

Department of Chemistry

Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs) are a class of molecules which promise to selectively deliver chemotherapeutic drugs precisely to cancer cells, avoiding toxic side effects typically associated with chemotherapy. Despite significant recent advancements, ADCs have suffered from lack of efficacy in low antigen expressing patients and off-target toxicity.

The $80,000 award will assist Dhaval and his team in using antibody engineering approaches to improve cellular delivery of ADCs, thereby mitigating their toxic effects and improving their potency.

Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences