Project Grant F32AI191478
- This federal Project Grant award of $489,500 from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), under the Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders program (CFDA 93.173), is focused on exploring the utility of antimicrobial blue light (ABL) for treating otitis media (OM), the most common pediatric infection. The key objectives of this 24-month project are to: 1) investigate the in vitro efficacy of ABL in killing primary otopathogens, including...
- This $496,496 Project Grant was awarded on August 1, 2025 by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) under the Discovery and Applied Research for Technological Innovations to Improve Human Health program (CFDA 93.286). The grant supports the development of chemical probes to enable imaging and phototherapy treatment of otitis media (OM), or middle ear infection, a common childhood condition. The probes will target bacterial enzymes involved in cell wall...
- The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), through its Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders program (CFDA 93.173), awarded a $306,872 project grant to Mstatt LLC (doing business as North Coast Photonics) to develop a safe, low-power digital laser otoscope for improved identification and diagnosis of otitis media with effusion (OME) in young children. OME is a common cause of childhood hearing loss, but primary care physicians often...
- Pionear Technologies Inc. received a $699,002 Project Grant award from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders within the Department of Health and Human Services. The award is part of the Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders federal grant program (CFDA 93.173) to develop novel liquid-infused tympanostomy tubes with optimized lumen geometry and slippery material design. The goal of the project is to engineer tympanostomy tubes that more efficiently...
- This Project Grant award, funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), aims to use whole genome sequencing (WGS) and diagnostic allele (DA) surveillance to study bacterial infection transmission and persistence dynamics within neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). The $881,303 award will fund research to: Determine patient, pathogen, and environment-specific factors contributing to infection...
- The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), under the Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders program (CFDA 93.173), awarded a $306,311 project grant to AO Technologies, LLC to develop a high-performance, reduced-cost optical coherence tomography (OCT) otoscope. This handheld device aims to provide improved three-dimensional imaging of the tympanic membrane and middle ear, which could lead to better diagnosis and treatment of hearing and...
- This $451,000 Project Grant awarded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research Federal Grant Program (CFDA 93.855) aims to identify new molecular targets for antimicrobial agents against the gram-negative bacterial pathogens Burkholderia pseudomallei and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The research approach utilizes chemical synthetic lethality, whereby subinhibitory doses of antibiotics are used to expose vulnerabilities...
- This Project Grant award of $254,478 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (CFDA 93.855 Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research) supports research to determine the mechanism of resistance for lead peptide-phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomer (PPMO) compounds against the bacterial pathogens Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Burkholderia cepacia complex. PPMOs are a new class of antibacterial compounds that have shown promise in killing a variety of...
- This $384,863 Project Grant award from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) under the "Discovery and Applied Research for Technological Innovations to Improve Human Health" (CFDA 93.286) program supports research to develop a novel radiotracer imaging agent for detecting Gram-positive bacterial infections associated with implanted medical devices. The key products and services to be delivered include: In vitro testing of a bivalent radiotracer agent...
- This Project Grant award from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), under the federal grant program "Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders" (CFDA 93.173), provides $445,861 to develop a novel low-cost imaging device based on optical coherence tomography (OCT) technology. The device enables real-time, 3D visualization of the tympanic membrane and middle ear structures, including the ossicles and cochlear promontory. This...
ACTIVITY-BASED PROBES FOR TARGETED IMAGING AND TREATMENT OF BACTERIAL OTITIS MEDIA - PROJECT SUMMARY OTITIS MEDIA (OM), OR INFECTION OF THE MIDDLE EAR, IS THE ONE OF MOST COMMON ILLNESSES DIAGNOSED IN CHILDREN IN THE UNITED STATES AND IS THE LEADING REASON FOR PEDIATRIC ANTIBIOTIC PRESCRIPTIONS. ACUTE OM IS MOST COMMONLY CAUSED BY THE BACTERIA STREPTOCOCCUS PNEUMONIAE, HAEMOPHILUS INFLUENZAE, MORAXELLA CATARRHALIS AND STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS, WHILE PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA IS THE MOST COMMON CAUSE OF CHRONIC OM. DIAGNOSIS OF OM CURRENTLY RELIES ON OTOSCOPY, WHICH HAS LOW SENSITIVITY AND SPECIFICITY AND IS UNABLE TO DIFFERENTIATE BACTERIAL INFECTION FROM OTHER CAUSES OF INFLAMMATION. THESE LIMITATIONS RESULT IN OVER-DIAGNOSIS AND OVER- PRESCRIPTION OF ANTIBIOTICS, CONTRIBUTING TO INCREASED ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE (AMR) AND SUBSEQUENT TREATMENT FAILURES. THEREFORE, THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT UNMET NEED FOR IMPROVED DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS FOR OM THAT CAN ENABLE FASTER AND MORE EFFECTIVE TREATMENT DECISIONS AND REDUCE THE POTENTIAL FOR AMR DEVELOPMENT. PHOTODYNAMIC THERAPY (PDT), IS A PROMISING ANTIMICROBIAL TREATMENT OPTION IN WHICH LIGHT-ACTIVATED PHOTOSENSITIZERS INDUCE CELL KILLING. HOWEVER, PRIOR APPLICATIONS OF PDT TO BACTERIA HAVE BEEN UNTARGETED OR USED NON-COVALENT METHODS OF TARGETING, RAISING THE RISKS OF OFF-TARGET TOXICITY AND RESISTANCE DEVELOPMENT. COVALENT TARGETING OF ENZYME ACTIVE SITES HAS THE POTENTIAL TO ADDRESS THESE CURRENT SHORTCOMINGS AND RESULT IN PROBES CAPABLE OF BOTH IMAGING AND TREATMENT APPLICATIONS. THE OVERALL OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROPOSAL IS TO ENGINEER A COVALENT THERANOSTIC PROBE TARGETING BACTERIAL D,D-CARBOXYPEPTIDASES (DD-CPASES) AS A NOVEL TOOL FOR IMAGING AND TREATING BACTERIAL OM USING PDT. ALL FIVE COMMON OM-CAUSING BACTERIA HAVE A DD-CPASE AND HUMANS LACK HOMOLOGS. THEREFORE, THE PRIMARY AIMS OF THIS PROJECT ARE TO: (1) DEVELOP A COVALENT ACTIVITY-BASED PROBE (ABP) SUITABLE FOR IMAGING AND TREATMENT OF THE FIVE PRIMARY OM-CAUSING BACTERIA; (2) DEMONSTRATE THAT A SINGLE COVALENT PROBE CAN BE USED TO IMAGE AND KILL THE FIVE MOST COMMON OM-CAUSING BACTERIA IN VITRO, AND (3) USE THE TOP PROBE TO CONFIRM IMAGING AND KILLING OF THE TWO MOST COMMON OM-CAUSING BACTERIA IN VIVO. SUCCESS WITH THESE AIMS WILL RESULT IN A STRATEGY FOR DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF OM THAT WILL REDUCE AMR DEVELOPMENT, REDUCE TREATMENT FAILURES, AND PREVENT PROGRESSION TO CHRONIC OM AND ITS ASSOCIATED COMPLICATIONS. IN ADDITION, THE TRAINING PLAN OUTLINES A COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY FOR CAREER ADVANCEMENT FOR THE APPLICANT, DR. EMILY WOODS, UNDER THE MENTORSHIP OF THE SPONSOR, DR. MATTHEW BOGYO. DR. WOODS WILL ENGAGE IN A VARIETY OF SEMINARS, COURSES, AND EXPERIENCES TO DEVELOP HER SCIENTIFIC AND ACADEMIC SKILLS AND ENABLE HER TRANSITION TO INDEPENDENCE. OVERALL, THE PROPOSED STUDIES ARE EXPECTED TO GENERATE A NOVEL TOOL FOR IMPROVED DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF BACTERIAL OM.
Mod # | Description | ReasonForModification | Federal Obligation | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not listed | $80.2k | 8/15/25 |