Chosen

NONINVASIVE BIOMARKERS FOR GASTROINTESTINAL DISEASE IN PRETERM INFANTS - PROJECT SUMMARY OUR OBJECTIVE IS TO DEVELOP A CLINICALLY-USABLE TEST THAT CAN DIAGNOSE GASTROINTESTINAL DISEASE EARLY IN INFANTS. INITIALLY DESCRIBED NEARLY 200 YEARS AGO, NECROTIZING ENTEROCOLITIS (NEC) IS THE MOST FREQUENT GASTROINTESTINAL DISORDER IN PRETERM INFANTS. IT AFFECTS 7-12% OF PRETERM INFANTS BORN WITH VERY LOW BIRTH WEIGHT (< 1.5 KG). THUS, NEARLY 6,000 PRETERM INFANTS PER YEAR SUFFER FROM THIS BOWEL DISEASE AND AN AVERAGE TOTAL IN-HOSPITAL TREATMENT IS $500,000 PER INFANT. NEC IS A LETHAL DISEASE, DUE TO DELAYED DIAGNOSIS: NEARLY 30% OF INFANTS WHO CONTRACT NEC DIE AND MEDIAN TIME TO DEATH IS 1 DAY AFTER X-RAY IMAGING OF FREE AIR IN THE INTESTINE. SINCE NEC IS NOT DIAGNOSED WITH HIGH SPECIFICITY OR IN A TIMELY FASHION, SURVIVORS OF SURGICAL INTERVENTION ARE FACED WITH LONG-TERM COMPLICATIONS, SUCH AS SHORTENED GUT, NUTRITIONAL DEFICIENCY, AND NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DELAYS. IN SUM, INFANTS AFFLICTED WITH NEC INCUR $5 BILLION IN US MEDICAL CARE ANNUALLY. OUR VALUE PROPOSITION IS THAT EARLY AND ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS WOULD DECREASE THE NUMBER OF INFANT DEATHS, PREVENT LONG-TERM HEALTH CHALLENGES OF SURVIVORS, AND LOWER THE ECONOMIC EXPENSE OF THE DISEASE. SUCH A MODEL HAS THREE REQUIREMENTS TO FULFILL ITS COMMERCIALIZATION PROMISE. FIRST, EARLY DETECTION OF DISEASE IS ACTIONABLE. SECOND, AS PREMATURITY IS A HEALTH INEQUITY, THE METHOD OF TESTING IS UNIVERSALLY ACCESSIBLE REGARDLESS OF RESOURCES, EASY TO ADOPT, AND CAN INTEGRATE IN CURRENT MEDICAL WORKFLOWS. THIRD, DISEASE DELINEATION IN PATIENTS, WHO ARE ASYMPTOMATIC OR PRESENT CONFOUNDING GENERAL SYMPTOMS, OPENS NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR THERAPEUTIC DEVELOPMENT AND PERSONALIZING TREATMENT FOR EACH PATIENT. TO ACHIEVE THIS, THE INITIAL BARRIER IS ELUCIDATION OF MOLECULAR CHARACTERISTICS, OR BIOMARKERS, THAT INTERSECT WITH DYSBIOSIS, HUMAN METABOLISM, AND INFLAMMATORY RESPONSES OF NEC. OUR MAIDEN BIOMARKER, NECDETECT, PROVIDES DIRECT READOUT OF AN INDIVIDUAL HUMAN’S ABILITY TO MODULATE GUT HOMEOSTASIS. FOR THIS APPLICATION, WE ADDRESS UNIQUE TECHNICAL, LOGISTIC, AND REGULATORY CHALLENGES FOR NECDETECT. TO DO SO, WE HAVE ASSEMBLED A MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM OF DISCOVERY SCIENTISTS, CLINICIANS, BIOMARKER ASSAY DEVELOPERS, AND REGULATORY CONSULTANTS. PROJECT AIMS ENCOMPASS KIT PROTOTYPE DEVELOPMENT, SAMPLE COLLECTION, ASSAY VALIDATION, AND SAMPLE ANALYSIS FOR REGULATORY EVALUATION. END GOALS ARE PREDICTIVE DISEASE SEGMENTATION OF INFANTS USING THE NECDETECT PROTOTYPE AND REFERENCE VALUES IN THE NEONATAL POPULATION.

SBIR PHASE II: ABSOLUTE PROTEIN QUANTITATION IN IN VITRO DIAGNOSTICS FOR GUT INFLAMMATION -THE BROADER IMPACT OF THIS SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) PHASE II PROJECT IS TO ADVANCE CLINICAL METHODS THAT ADDRESS THE EXTENSIVE PHYSIOLOGICAL VARIATION THAT IS AGE- AND RACE-DEPENDENT. WELL-PUBLICIZED OVER THE LAST FEW DECADES IS THE LACK OF HEALTHCARE SOLUTIONS FOR DISEASES IN PREEMIE BABIES, WHO ARE BORN TO MOTHERS WITH SIGNIFICANT SOCIOECONOMIC INEQUALITIES. CASE IN POINT, NECROTIZING ENTEROCOLITIS (NEC) IS A COMMON AND OFTEN FATAL GASTROINTESTINAL, OR GUT, EMERGENCY IN PREMATURE INFANTS THAT DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTS AFRICAN AMERICAN BABIES. THE DISEASE HAS NOT ONLY CONFOUNDED DOCTORS AND NURSES FOR 200 YEARS, BUT ALSO THESE NEONATAL EMERGENCIES ARE ALSO FRIGHTENING TO ALMOST ALL PREEMIE CARE PROVIDERS DUE TO ITS HIGH MORTALITY RATE. ITS HEALTHCARE IN THE US REQUIRES $3 BILLION ANNUALLY DUE TO REPEATED X-RAY TESTING, SURGERY, LONGER HOSPITAL STAYS, AND LONG-TERM COMPLICATIONS OF ITS SURVIVORS. AN EARLY AND ACCURATE DIAGNOSTIC TEST FOR NEC WOULD BE A DISRUPTIVE PARADIGM SHIFT IN PREEMIE INTENSIVE CARE: IT WOULD ENABLE MEDICAL INTERVENTION TO BE MORE EFFECTIVE, REDUCE RISK OF DISEASE PROGRESSION, DECREASE MEDICAL CARE EXPENSES BY HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS ANNUALLY, AND LOWER MORTALITY. THE PROPOSED PROJECT WILL DEVELOP REQUISITE REAGENTS FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TEST THAT WILL ENABLE DETECTION OF INFANT PROTEINS THAT PLAY A ROLE IN GUT HEALTH. ABSOLUTE QUANTITATION IS A PREREQUISITE FOR DATA INTERPRETATION AND VALIDATION BETWEEN EXPERIMENTS, LABORATORIES, AND TESTING PLATFORMS. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES ARE DIRECTED TOWARD CRITICAL TECHNICAL HURDLES: (1) DETERMINATION OF OPTIMAL REFERENCE STANDARD TO QUANTITATE HOST BIOMOLECULES IN CLINICAL SETTINGS AND (2) UNDERSTANDING THE USAGE LIMITATIONS OF THESE REFERENCE STANDARDS IN THE BACKGROUND OF HIGH VARIATION IN THE HUMAN POPULATION. NATIVE AND RECOMBINANT CANDIDATES WILL BE COMPARED AND ANALYZED WITH VARIOUS METHODS. ANTICIPATED RESULTS ARE REFERENCE STANDARDS THAT ARE AGE-SPECIFIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC USE IN THE MOST FRAGILE AND SMALLEST PATIENTS AND THAT ARE ACCEPTABLE TO REGULATORY STAKEHOLDERS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

NONINVASIVE BIOMARKERS FOR GASTROINTESTINAL DISEASE IN PRETERM INFANTS

SBIR PHASE I: ABSOLUTE PROTEIN QUANTITATION IN IN VITRO DIAGNOSTICS FOR GUT INFLAMMATION

RETIRED AND SENIOR VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

THE STONE MILL REPRESENTS THE HEIGHT OF SHAKERISM IN THE MID 19TH CENTURY BUILT OF STONE RATHER THAN THE BRICK THAT PREDOMINATED FACTORY CONSTRUCTION IN THE EARLY AND MID NINETEENTH CENTURY, THE MILL STANDS AS A REPRESENTATIVE EXAMPLE OF SHAKER SELF SUFFICIENCY AND FRUGALITY, ON THE ONE HAND, AND NECESSARILY DEPENDENT ENGAGEMENT WITH THE WORLD, ON THE OTHER THIS GRANT WILL REPAIR THE MASONRY AND 32 WINDOW OPENINGS THE APPLICANT WILL PROVIDE 129,677 IN MATCHING FUNDS

HOMELESS ASSISTANCE

ENFIELD SHAKER MUSEUM: EXPANDING VISITOR ACCESS THROUGH DIGITAL COLLECTIONS AND SMARTPHONE TOURS

#ENFIELDEVERYWHERE: PLANNING AND DEVELOPING INTEGRATED PHYSICAL AND DIGITAL EXHIBITION SITES TO COMMEMORATE THE 250TH ANNIVERSARY OF SHAKERISM IN AMERICA AT ENFIELD SHAKER MUSEUM [ENFIELD SHAKER MUSEUM WILL PLAN, DEVELOP, AND SCRIPT TWO DISTINCT BUT COMPLEMENTARY EXHIBITIONS TO OPEN IN 2024, THE 250TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARRIVAL OF THE SHAKERS? FOUNDER, ANN LEE, TO AMERICA. THESE EXHIBITIONS?ONE A PHYSICAL SITE AND THE OTHER DIGITAL?WILL BE INTEGRATED WITH THE MUSEUM?S WEBSITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA DURING AND AFTER THE PROJECT?S COMPLETION (2023-2026). THE PHYSICAL SITE EXHIBITION WILL EXPLORE SHAKER RELIGIOUS TENETS AND THEIR SOCIAL MANIFESTATIONS AS COMMUNALISM, GENDER AND RACIAL EQUALITY, AND PACIFISM, AS WELL AS THEIR REIFICATION IN THE SHAKERS' MATERIAL CULTURE AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND SHAPING OF THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT. THE EXHIBITION WEBSITE (#ENFIELDEVERYWHERE) WILL INCLUDE ENFIELD ARTIFACTS AND DOCUMENTS AT ENFIELD AND AT OTHER MUSEUMS AND LIBRARIES AND IN PRIVATE HANDS, A DATABASE OF ENFIELD SHAKERS (ALREADY IN PRODUCTION), AND AN EXPANSION OF THEMES BEYOND THE PHYSICAL EXHIBITION'S CAPACITY.] [PURPOSE:&NBSP;THE PURPOSE OF THIS GRANT IS TO RETAIN AND HIRE NEW MUSEUM STAFF, AND FUND WORK RELATED TO HISTORICAL EXHIBITIONS AT A MUSEUM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED: TWO FULL-TIME POSITIONS, A MUSEUM CURATOR AND AN EDUCATION COORDINATOR, WILL BE RETAINED UNDER THE GRANT AND TWO NEW PART-TIME POSITIONS WILL BE HIRED. MUSEUM STAFF WILL CREATE TWO EXHIBITIONS ON THE HISTORY OF THE SHAKER RELIGION AND ITS HISTORICAL ENGAGEMENT WITH COMMUNALISM, PACIFISM, AND GENDER AND RACIAL EQUALITY. STAFF WILL PLAN AND DEVELOP ONE EXHIBITION ON-SITE AT THE MUSEUM AND EXPAND DIGITAL CONTENT FOR AN ONLINE EXHIBITION. EXPECTED OUTCOMES:&NBSP;FUNDING WILL MAINTAIN AND EXPAND EXISTING HUMANITIES PROGRAMS AND RETAIN HUMANITIES JOBS THAT WERE THREATENED BY THE PANDEMIC. INTENDED BENEFICIARIES: LONG-TIME LOCAL AND REGIONAL MUSEUM MEMBERS, DONORS, STUDENTS, VOLUNTEERS, VISITORS, AND AN ONLINE AUDIENCE. SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES:&NBSP;AN EXHIBITION COORDINATOR AND HISTORY COMMUNICATOR WILL BE HIRED ON CONTRACT TO HELP DEVELOP EXHIBITION CONTENT.]

REAP RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEM (RES) GRANT UNRESTRICTED AMOUNT

THIS GRANT SUPPORTS THE COSTS INCURRED TO IMPLEMENT MEASURES TO RESPOND TO THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS 2019 (COVID-19), WHICH MAY INCLUDE WORKPLACE SAFETY, MARKET PIVOTS, RETROFITTING FACILITIES, TRANSPORTATION, WORKER HOUSING, AND MEDICAL EXPENSES. IT PROVIDES NEEDED RELIEF TO THE FOOD PROCESSORS, DISTRIBUTORS, FARMERS MARKETS, AND PRODUCERS FOR THEIR COSTS INCURRED BETWEEN JANUARY 27, 2020, THE DATE UPON WHICH THE PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY WAS DECLARED BY THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICE (HHS) UNDER SECTION 319 OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE ACT, AND DECEMBER 31, 2021. BENEFICIARIES INCLUDE THE EMPLOYEES OF THE FOOD PROCESSORS, DISTRIBUTORS, FARMERS MARKETS, AND PRODUCERS.