Our Partners:
Disciplines:
Hebrew University
Neuroscience, Aquaculture, Jewish Studies
Tel Aviv University
Neuroscience
University of Haifa
Marine Science, Mathematics
Bar-Ilan University
Neuroscience
Ariel University
Medicine
Volcani Center for Agriculture
Engineering
PI Team: Dr. Randy Blakely (FAU) and Prof. Uri Ashery (Tel
Aviv
U)
Title:Impact of HBOT on neuroinflammatory signaling and
anxiety/depressive
behavior
in adult mice subjected to neonatal maternal separation
Period:1 Mar 2020 – 28 Feb 2021
Description: Rodents subjected to early life stress, using the
neonatal
maternal
separation (MS) model, demonstrate elevations of pro-inflammatory cytokines,
including
IL-1b.
Studies in ourlabs indicate requirements for IL-1b signaling in the induction of
depressive-like
states in MS-treated mice and the ability of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) to
reduce
IL-1b levels
in mice. Here we propose to implement HBOT using a novel, mouse-sized hyperbaric
oxygen
chamber to
determine whether HBOT can reduce depressive-like symptoms and inflammatory
cytokines in
adult mice
subjected to MS.
Budget: $15,000
PI Team: Dr. Mare Cudic (FAU) and Prof. Michael Firer (Ariel
U)
Title:Lectinomimetic-peptide drug conjugates in targeted drug
delivery
Period:1 Jan 2020 – 31 Dec 2020
Description: Aberrant surface glycosylation has emerged as a new
hallmark
of
cancer.
The ability to utilize glycan-binding molecules for detection of cancer can be
enhanced by
their
conjugation to peptides that target the tumor cells. The strategies used to produce
such
conjugates
include their attachment to a cytotoxic drug, resulting in targeted drug delivery.
Our main
objective is to combine the expertise of the PIs to develop novel
lectinomimetic-peptide-drug
conjugates for targeted drug delivery to prostate cancer cells.
Budget: $15,000
PI Team: Dr. Predrag Cudic (FAU) and Prof. Gary Gellerman
(Ariel
U)
Title:Dual action peptide sensitizer antibiotics against multidrug
resistant
bacteria
Period:1 Jan 2020 – 31 Dec 202
Description: The prevalence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial
infections and
continuous decline in new antibiotics emphasize the importance of novel treatment
options.
The
overall goal of the proposed research is to synthesize a series of dual-action
peptide
sensitizer
antibiotics and assess their in vitro activity and nonspecific
toxicity. This
will
present an alternative to the existing options for topical treatment of infected
acute and
chronic
wounds, including those caused by MDR organisms and biofilms.
Budget: $15,000
PI Team: Dr. Ken Dawson-Scully (FAU) and Prof. Michael Sherman
(Ariel
U)
Title:Using HSP70 expression to reduce seizure duration in the
model C.
elegans
Period:1 Jan 2020 – 31 Dec 2020
Description: Since the C. elegans locomotor circuit underlies the
sinusoidal
movement of worms in solution, we can use acute electric shock to perturb their
locomotion.
We will
combine our expertise in the study of seizure-like locomotion in response to
electric shock
with the
analysis of neuroprotection in response to Heat Shock Protein 70 (Hsp70) in C.
elegans. We
use drugs
that target various neuronal features as well as genes that may play a role in
susceptibility
specifically focusing on the contribution of Hsp70 and polyQ insult through
pharmacology and
genetics.
Budget: $15,000
PI Team: Dr. Erik Duboue (FAU) and Prof. Yoav Gothilf (Tel
Aviv
U)
Title:Dissection of the genetic and neuronal systems underlying
early life
stress-induced hyperphagia
Period:1 Mar 2020 – 28 Feb 2021
Description: Stress and anxiety-related diseases are often comorbid
with
eating
disorders, yet the genetic and neuronal mechanisms underlying stress-feeding
interactions
remain
unknown. The zebrafish genes AgRP1 and AgRP2 have dedicated roles in feeding and
modulation
of
stress hormones, respectively, suggesting that AgRP modulates interactions of stress
and
hunger.
Using novel behavioral assays and new transgenic and mutant lines, we propose to
examine the
role of
AgRP in ELS-induced hyperphagia. Because of the conservation of genetic and neuronal
pathways
between fish and humans, we expect these data to shed insight into how internal
states of
feeding
and stress interact functionally.
Budget: $15,000
PI Team: Dr. Jason Hallstrom (FAU) and Dr. Tarin Paz-Kagan
(Volcani
Center)
Title:Developing applications for high-throughput field phenotyping
for
precision
agriculture: plant breeding of sugarcane and corn
Period:1 Mar 2020 – 28 Feb 2021
Description: This study embraces the latest technological
aspects of
remote
sensing from state-of-the-art unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to enable high
throughput
phenotyping
of agriculture crops at the field-scale. UAV platforms equipped with different
sensor
packages have
recently become an important approach for fast and non-destructive HTPP; they have
the
advantage of
flexible and convenient operation, on- demand access to data, and high spatial
resolution.
Budget:$15,000
PI Team: Dr. Mike Kim (FAU) and Prof. Shmuel Sternklar (Ariel
U)
Title:An integrated interferometer-surface plasmon resonance sensor
for
fluid
property sensing
Period:1 Jan 2020 – 31 Dec 2020
Description: This project develops a novel lab-on-a-chip diagnostic
technique for
fluid properties, based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effects at the gold
film-fluid
interface.
To achieve this goal, researchers at FAU and Ariel U will collaborate to integrate
an SPR
sensor
with a microfluidic system. The novelty of this proposal is the integration of
highly
sensitive
optical techniques with the microfabrication expertise resident at FAU.
Budget:$15,000
PI Team: Dr. Tracy Mincer (FAU) and Prof. Ehud Banin (Bar-Ilan
U)
Title:Discovery of microbial biofilm inhibitory compounds by
bacteria and
fungi
Period:1 Mar 2020 – 28 Feb 2021
Description: Bacterial pathogens frequently form biofilms that
are
highly
resistant to antibiotic treatment. Thus, therapeutics blocking the formation of
biofilms are
a key
target to fighting infectious bacteria. We hypothesize that marine microorganisms
produce
biofilm
disrupting molecules as regulators of diverse ecological interactions, and as such,
present
a unique
bio- prospecting opportunity. This project proposes to screen marine,
chemically-rich
microbial
extracts of diverse origin for the ability to disrupt biofilm formation in model
bacterial
biofilm-forming pathogens. We will then prioritize our screening results and
characterize
the
chemical components by mass spectrometry.
Budget:$15,000
PI Team: Dr. Aditya Nayak (FAU|) and Prof. Tali Treibitz (U
Haifa)
Title:Developing a digital fluorescence and holographic imaging
system for
characterizing 3-D phytoplankton distributions in diverse oceanic
applications
Period:1 Mar 2020 – 28 Feb 2021
Description: Digital holographic imaging is a powerful,
unobtrusive
technique
that enables characterization of 3-D spatial distributions of particles in their
natural
environment. Fluorescence imaging/microscopy is used to differentiate between
particles due
to the
fact that pigmented molecules (e.g., chlorophyll) exhibit fluorescence. An in
situ instrument that integrates holography and fluorescence to
simultaneously
provide
3-D particle distributions as well as chlorophyll composition within the same sample
volume
will be
developed.
Budget:$15,000
PI Team: Dr. Teresa Wilcox (FAU) and Prof. Hila Gvirts (Ariel
U)
Title:Neural and behavioral parent-infant synchrony as a potential
marker
Period:1 Jan 2020 – 31 Dec 2020
Description: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a
neurodevelopmental
disorder
characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, accompanied by
restricted
and
repetitive patterns of thought and behavior. Our long-term goalis to
examine
whether
synchrony in early infant-caregiver interactions can serve as a marker for ASD. We
will
compare
interpersonal synchrony between two types of infant-parent dyads. One group will be
parent
and
infant siblings of children diagnosed with ASD, or high-risk for ASD infants. The
other
group will
be parent and infant siblings of typically developing children, or low-risk for ASD
infants.
We will
measure both interpersonal synchrony, as defined above, and sequential synchrony,
which
refers to a
chain of reactions during parent-child interaction.
Budget:$15,000