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George Mason researchers lead breakthrough study to find functional cure for HIV

Colleen Rich — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 20:04:51 +0000

George Mason researchers lead breakthrough study to find functional cure for HIV Colleen Rich Thu, 07/25/2024 - 16:04

Researchers in ��AV’s Center for Infectious Disease Research (CIDR) and Tulane National Primate Research Center conducted a breakthrough proof-of-concept study, published in Nature’s Gene Therapy, that found a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-like virus particle that could cease the need for lifelong medications. Scientists have made great strides in the treatment of HIV over the past few decades, yet those with the virus must still take antiretroviral therapy for life as the disease is difficult to eradicate.

Yuntao Wu. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

CIDR researchers led by Yuntao Wu, a professor in George Mason’s School of Systems Biology and the principal investigator of the National Institutes of Health-funded study, developed a special HIV-like virus particle, called HIV Rev-dependent lentiviral vector, that uses an HIV protein, Rev, as a trigger to selectively target and activate therapeutic genes in HIV-infected cells.

The Mason team, including Brian Hetrick, Mark Spear, Jia Guo, Huizhi Liang, Yajing Fu, Zhijun Yang, and Ali Andalibi, has been developing the HIV Rev-dependent vector technology since 2002.

According to Wu, patients need to take medications for the rest of their lives because of the persistence of HIV reservoirs, which are infected immune cells harboring the virus. Currently, antiretroviral therapy used by patients can effectively block the virus but cannot eliminate the viral reservoirs. Experimental approaches such as “shock and kill” and “block and lock” of the reservoirs have been in development to either eliminate or silence viral reservoirs.

Wu said the HIV Rev-dependent lentiviral vector technology that his team has been developing uses a different approach, which relies on the HIV Rev protein to selectively target reservoirs for killing or for inactivation.

“Our approach shows signs of not only reducing viral reservoirs but also boosting the immune system to produce antiviral neutralizing antibodies,” said Wu. “Think about turning a bad guy into a good one.”

The reservoir cells can be targeted by the Rev-dependent vector and be turned into releasing defective viruses that can act as a vaccine to stimulate neutralizing antibodies. Wu’s team named this new approach “rehab and redeem” of the HIV reservoirs.

Scientists at Tulane National Primate Research Center, including Summer Siddiqui, Lara Doyle-Meyers, Bapi Pahar, Ronald S. Veazey, Jason Dufour, and Binhua Ling, collaborated with Wu’s team to test this technology on monkeys infected with SIVmac239 (a virus similar to HIV), finding in one monkey that the virus levels in the blood and brain have been reduced to undetectable most of the time for over two years after ceasing antiretroviral therapy.

According to Hetrick, this approach shows promise in controlling the presence of virus in the blood and opens new avenues for developing effective treatments for HIV without relying on daily antiretrovirals. “Our proof-of-concept animal studies demonstrate a step forward in the fight against this virus, bringing us closer to innovative and potentially transformative therapies for HIV patients,” said Hetrick.

This proof-of-concept study signals what technologies could come for the 1.2 million people in the United States and 39 million worldwide (as of 2022) with HIV who depend on medications to keep the virus under control. Additional funded studies are needed to expand and optimize the animal studies, followed by human clinical trials serving as the next pivotal steps for the development of the new treatment.

Wu thanked the NYCDC AIDS Ride organized by Marty Rosen that raised funding to keep his team going in early years, leading to the more recent NIH-supported animal trial.

“It took us 20 years to walk the first step, we will certainly keep going,” Wu said.

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New Mason Nanofabrication Facility will help drive innovation in the commonwealth

Colleen Rich — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 19:45:46 +0000

New Mason Nanofabrication Facility will help drive innovation in the commonwealth Colleen Rich Wed, 01/17/2024 - 14:45

Over the past decade, nanotechnology has taken the world by storm. From health care to electronics, it has radically transformed countless industries.

Shawn Wagoner, nanofabrication manager, gives a tour of Mason's new Nanofabrication Facility on the Science and Technology Campus. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

As a result, nanofabrication, the manufacturing of nanoscale structures, is more important than ever, and proper fabrication has requirements, including both sophisticated equipment and a skilled workforce. In response to the rising demand for nanofabrication services, ��AV stands ready to conduct state-of-the-art research and to help train the next generation of innovators with the opening of the new Nanofabrication Facility (NFF) on its Science and Technology Campus.

“The NFF is the only cleanroom facility and resource for partners in Northern Virginia and offers hands-on nanofabrication workforce training in groundbreaking research and emerging research applications that will accelerate growth of high-tech companies,” said Andre Marshall, vice president of research, innovation, and economic impact at Mason. “Mason is committed to providing many opportunities for students to participate in experiential learning, preparing our workforce for the future and readying them to compete on a global scale.”

Mason engineering professor Ethan Ahn sees the new facility as a perfect opportunity to give students the chance to receive hands-on experience in a nanofabrication lab. Ahn is teaching Mason’s first-ever Nanoelectronics Fundamentals course during the Spring 2024 semester, where students will be asked to create electronic devices in the NFF Class 1000 cleanroom.

The Nanofabrication Facility offers hands-on nanofabrication workforce training. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

“Hands-on experience in this field is invaluable, especially because students can become familiarized with the equipment that they may encounter in their future careers,” said Ahn, an associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Mason also launched the Nano-IMAGINE program with the help of a $3.75 million grant from GO Virginia, a state-funded initiative administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. Through Nano-IMAGINE, in addition to offering undergraduate and graduate courses, Mason plans to provide two workforce-readiness opportunities in 2024: Nanocamp and Nano Boot Camp.

Nanocamp will allow area high school students to take part in experiments designed by Mason researchers and industry experts that use the cutting-edge equipment found inside the NFF. Nano Boot Camp is designed for those who are searching for a new career path or who would like to gain entry-level skills in an in-demand field. Similar to Nanocamp, participants will learn and apply principles used to build micro and nano devices.

The Nano-IMAGINE courses and programs complement statewide efforts led by the newly established Virginia Alliance for Semiconductor Technology (VAST). VAST is a network of semiconductor, microelectronics, and nanotechnology industries and Virginia colleges and universities. As a member of this consortium, Mason aims to promote VAST by educating NFF boot camp members about opportunities offered by the alliance, such as certificate programs that can help advance their careers in nanofabrication, an essential part of the semiconductor field.

"By investing in top faculty, new programs and facilities, and partnerships, Mason is connecting learning and market advancement to drive innovation for all across the state," said Marshall. “We are leading regional collaborations across sectors to bring a better tomorrow.

Learn more about the Nanofabrication Facility

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The Nanofabrication Facility is located on George Mason’s SciTech Campus in Manassas, Virginia. The campus is situated in Innovation Park, with neighbors ranging from start-ups to large size tech companies.

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Wexton’s visit to Science and Technology Campus explores research and economic impact

Colleen Rich — Wed, 30 Aug 2023 20:18:31 +0000

Wexton’s visit to Science and Technology Campus explores research and economic impact Colleen Rich Wed, 08/30/2023 - 16:18

Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton visits the ��AV Science and Technology Campus
Photo by Evan Cantwell/��AV

U.S. Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton toured ��AV’s Science and Technology Campus on Tuesday, August 29. The campus is located in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District, which Wexton represents.

During her visit, Wexton delved into Mason’s economic impact and partnerships with Prince William County and the City of Manassas and explored SciTech’s research labs. Neuroscience PhD student Dylan Scarton was among the researchers presenting their work. Scarton shared his endeavors into developing a biomaterial for peripheral nerve regeneration. His findings could lead to optimized recovery outcomes and reduced healing time for those suffering from severe peripheral nerve damage.

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Study finds probiotics are not only good for the gut, they affect other organs too

Colleen Rich — Mon, 17 Apr 2023 15:03:47 +0000

Study finds probiotics are not only good for the gut, they affect other organs too Colleen Rich Mon, 04/17/2023 - 11:03

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 40% of Americans are classified as obese, leading obesity to be considered a significant public health threat. High fat diets, which are often cited as a cause of obesity, can also result in the development of metabolic syndrome, a group of conditions that may promote the progression of serious health conditions, including cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. With obesity rates still rising, the hunt is on for ways to combat the negative effects of a high fat diet. ��AV researchers now believe they have discovered a possible answer—probiotic supplementation.

Mason researchers Robin Couch and Allyson Dailey in the lab.
Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

Robin Couch and Allyson Dailey, researchers in Mason’s College of Science and the Institute for Biohealth Innovation, are interested in the correlations between dietary intake and overall health. In a recent study, Couch and Dailey partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to explore the influence of probiotic supplementation on a higher fat diet, using pigs as model organisms.

The research team looked at four groups of pigs—two groups that were fed nutritionally balanced diets with and without probiotic supplementation, and two groups that were fed higher fat diets with and without probiotic supplementation. The probiotic that was tested is known as Lacticaseibacillus paracasei. After six months of dietary intake, organ tissue samples obtained from the pigs were examined, specifically looking at their molecular composition.

Couch and Dailey were looking at specifically at metabolites, substances that are produced or used during metabolism. They found that the kidneys and the brain were particularly sensitive to a high-fat diet and when certain metabolites were noted to be at harmful levels, the kidneys and the brain were the most susceptible.

In contrast, they also discovered that, with probiotic supplementation, many of the detrimental metabolite levels reverted to levels found in pigs that were fed a healthy diet. In other words, probiotic supplementation staved off the negative effects associated with a high-fat diet, illustrating how probiotics may play a key role in preventative health care.

“We’d like to see probiotic intake become a regular part of the dietary recommendations that a physician would give to a patient,” said Dailey.

The researchers are also aiming to investigate other probiotic strains.

“If different strains do have distinct effects on the body, then you could see individualized probiotics, or even probiotic cocktails, being used to treat specific diseases,” said Couch. “We think it’s likely that, alongside pharmaceuticals, prescribing probiotics that address various diseases will be more commonplace in the future.”

Additionally, Couch and Dailey view this study as a stepping stone to potential subsequent work on how other nutrients, such as protein and carbohydrates, affect tissue composition.

“We specifically looked at the influence of a high-fat diet in our research, but this opens up a whole world of nutritional investigation at the metabolic level,” said Couch.

For now, the researchers are hoping that their study, which was recently published in the journal Metabolites, serves to add scientific validity to the claims of the benefits of probiotics.

“This is progress towards providing new evidence that probiotics are good for you and that what you consume has a profound effect on your health,” said Dailey. “These findings can contribute to the creation of revolutionary solutions, and, in the end, that’s why I’m in this—to help people thrive.”

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Mason leads planning study to position Northern Virginia as a premier location for the life science industry

Melanie Balog — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 21:04:09 +0000

Mason leads planning study to position Northern Virginia as a premier location for the life science industry Melanie Balog Fri, 03/17/2023 - 17:04

In This Story

PJ Maddox, EdD, MSN, RN

Caroline Sutter, DNP

During the past several years, industry demand for a skilled life science workforce has been surging. In Virginia, while there are currently shortages in almost all health-related professions, little is known about whether there is an adequate supply of life science workers to meet the needs of employers. Now ��AV is working toward a solution.

In partnership with Phoenix Advantage, a Virginia-based economic development and business consulting firm, Caroline Sutter of Mason’s College of Public Health; Amy Adams, executive director of the Institute for Biohealth Innovation; and their team have received a life science talent pathway planning grant from GO Virginia, a state-funded initiative administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.

Microbiology students are part of the life sciences workforce pipeline.
File photo by Lathan Goumas/Strategic Communication

With the assistance of the award, they will be assessing life science employer needs, employment trends, workforce supply, and demand projections in Northern Virginia. Provided that future funding is secured, they intend to use their findings to facilitate the expansion of the life science worker pipeline.

“A robust workforce is a vital component of a thriving life science industry,” said Susan Baker, managing director of GO Virginia. "GO Virginia is proud to support an effort to establish Northern Virginia as an area that is able to respond to the needs of a steadily growing market."

According to Adams, the first step of the project will be to create a comprehensive list of companies who hire individuals in the life science sector, such as digital health firms and biomanufacturers. From there, Phoenix Advantage will schedule interviews with the identified employers in order to better understand their priorities and what they consider to be the ideal skillset in the future workforce.

In tandem, the Mason Center for Health Workforce (MCHW), directed by Sutter and P. J. Maddox, will leverage data from the Commonwealth of Virginia to assess the future pipeline of workers, including secondary school and higher education students. Established in 2022, the MCHW plays a leading role in health workforce planning and development across Virginia. The center has collected extensive data related to health workers and will expand to include life science personnel with this project.

“The health care workforce is in flux; demand is high just as burnout, turnover, and rising labor costs are diminishing the supply of qualified staff,” said Sutter, who is also an associate professor in Mason’s School of Nursing. “The Mason Center for Health Workforce helps organizations, communities, and the commonwealth use data for decision-making to create short-term solutions and long-term strategies.”

Seeing tremendous value in the team’s effort to optimize life science workforce preparedness, the Claude Moore Foundation, a nonprofit organization in Virginia and a key funder of the MCHW, provided matching funds for the planning grant.

A VR Simulation Lab training class. File Photo by
Shelby Burgess/Strategic Communications

“The vibrancy and growth of the life science ecosystem in Northern Virginia depends in part on our ability to understand workforce needs and to attract and train talent,” said Bill Hazel, the senior deputy director of the Claude Moore Foundation. “This grant will allow us to inventory those needs and to strengthen our talent pipeline.”

The next step of the project will be to identify existing education and training programs so that redundancies can be avoided and potential gaps can be addressed. Finally, an analysis will be performed on how workers and employers are currently matched in the life sciences industry.

Adams said she believes the Northern Virginia region has immense potential to be the destination for life science companies to reside and prosper. She added that she hopes the team’s work will result in the formation of programs that motivate students to pursue careers in the life sciences.

“We want to reach students at early stages and show them that the life science career path is one that is extremely rewarding; you are able to touch many lives around the world by developing innovative solutions to advance health,” said Adams. “By sparking inspiration, we can also help companies in our region flourish by ensuring access to a well-prepared and sufficiently sized workforce—both are what drive us.”

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Mason collaboration receives $3.2 million to help military personnel combat hemorrhagic diseases

Colleen Rich — Wed, 04 Jan 2023 21:50:35 +0000

Mason collaboration receives $3.2 million to help military personnel combat hemorrhagic diseases Colleen Rich Wed, 01/04/2023 - 16:50

Deployed military personnel frequently face numerous health and safety hazards as part of their daily activities in service to their nation. Among many dangers is the possibility of encountering hemorrhagic fever viruses (HFVs), a group of highly infectious pathogens such as the Ebola virus. Many of these diseases do not currently have effective therapeutics and can be prevalent in areas where service members are deployed, putting them at risk of exposure.

Mason researcher Aarthi Narayanan and her team in the lab. From left, Trangdai Tran, Farhang Alem, Narayanan, Michael Barrera, and Kenia Gomez. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

��AV infectious disease researcher Aarthi Narayanan has partnered with the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) and Cyclica, a biotechnology company based in Canada, to identify potential broad-spectrum therapeutics for illnesses triggered by HFVs and similar pathogens.

“Tackling this challenge requires a multidisciplinary approach,” said Narayanan, who is an associate professor in the College of Science and a faculty member in the Department of Biology and the Institute for Biohealth Innovation. “With the support of a $3.2M grant from the Department of Defense, our team will be working to address the mechanisms by which some HFVs cause disease and using cutting-edge technology to keep military personnel and those they serve safe.”

USAMRIID and Mason will start by generating samples through exposure studies. Biosafety Level 3 pathogens will be examined at Mason’s Biomedical Research Laboratory, while USAMRIID will work with Biosafety Level 4 agents.

Mason will use its reverse-phase protein microarray (RPPA) to understand how cells communicate with other cells in a host’s response to infection. Specifically, the team is interested in changes to the cells that line blood vessels, also known as endothelial cells. In many cases, the viruses that will be studied lead to damage to endothelial cells as a result of hemorrhage, leading to severe illness or death.

Cyclica has extensive knowledge in machine learning and will help Mason develop artificial intelligence models. Using data from the RPPA, the models will search for druggable targets that could interrupt the host response.

Any encouraging findings will be tested with an organ-on-chip (OoC) platform, an emerging technology that mimics human organ physiology on a microfluidic chip. Since OoCs are able to simulate organ systems, they are more informative than traditional cell cultures, and they increase the likelihood that treatment strategies will work successfully in animal models and, eventually, in humans.

“This project allows us to combine unique assets of the university with outside expertise,” said Narayanan. “Collaboration opens doors for us and creates new opportunities that may not be available to the team if we had performed the studies individually.”

Narayanan's ultimate goal is to identify two or three broad-spectrum small molecule drugs that could be used for the next stage of development. The small molecules’ size enables them to easily enter cells and reach targets that other drugs struggle to engage. Many small molecule drugs are already FDA cleared or approved for other applications; the team hopes that some of them could be brought to market as countermeasures for HFVs. Repurposed therapeutics can be available to the medical community sooner than new medications, as they have already gone through the FDA review process.

With hospitals quickly becoming overrun during COVID-19, Narayanan also sees this research as a chance to prepare for a future pandemic. Due to biological agents’ volatile nature, there is often little time to establish diagnostic capabilities and assess remedies. Having broad-spectrum therapeutics available as a tool to mitigate host response means more time could be dedicated to creating accurate diagnostics and administering treatments that will target the pathogen.

Additionally, Narayanan said the project presents a great opportunity for Mason graduate students on the team to gain experience in a variety of fields, ranging from disease pathology to proteomics and bioinformatics.

“Impactful, experiential learning opportunities like this truly prepare Mason Science graduate students for exciting professional trajectories,” said Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm, dean of the College of Science. “Our Mason Science researchers pride themselves on bold, creative work with innovative strategic partners to address grand global challenges.”

While the task may seem daunting to some, Narayanan is eager to begin. She is confident that the team will uncover groundbreaking solutions that will protect military personnel and serve the broader civilian community.

“My team members are extremely remarkable individuals who value saving as many lives as possible,” said Narayanan. “Together, I am positive that we will be able to make great strides in both military and public health.”

About the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases

Since 1969, USAMRIID has provided leading-edge medical capabilities to deter and defend against current and emerging biological threat agents. The institute is the only laboratory in the Department of Defense equipped to safely study highly hazardous viruses requiring maximum containment at Biosafety Level 4. Research conducted at USAMRIID leads to vaccines, drugs, diagnostics, and training programs that protect both warfighters and civilians. The institute's unique science and technology base serves not only to address current threats to our Armed Forces but is an essential element in the medical response to any future biological threats that may confront our nation. For more information, visit usamriid.health.mil.

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Mason bioengineering PhD achieves her dream of developing a technology that aids in cancer diagnoses

Colleen Rich — Fri, 09 Dec 2022 20:54:03 +0000

Mason bioengineering PhD achieves her dream of developing a technology that aids in cancer diagnoses Colleen Rich Fri, 12/09/2022 - 15:54

Although ��AV doctoral student Shrishti Singh may have faced setbacks, including a pandemic, during her time in the bioengineering PhD program, she didn’t let it get in the way of her dreams. With the support of her Mason mentors, she has achieved her goal of developing a promising new technology that would allow cancer to be visualized in deep tissue and perhaps diagnosed earlier.

Mason PhD grad Shrishti Singh. Photo provided

Using a combination of FDA-approved dyes and photoacoustic imaging, Singh has created an injectable dye that attaches to tumor cells and increases the contrast of those cells against the background tissue. Photoacoustic imaging, a new biomedical imaging technique, then illuminates the cancer cells, even in early stages and deep tissue areas of the body.

“This technology gives patients better diagnostics for colon cancer, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, and more, and can improve their prognosis,” said Singh, who has a master’s degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut and an engineering degree from Ramaiah Institute of Technology in Bangalore, India.

Singh said she credits her advisors, Mason bioengineering professor Remi Veneziano and mechanical engineering professor Jeffrey Moran, for her success and perseverance.

“After the first year of my PhD, I had almost given up on my degree,” said Singh. “When Professor Veneziano became my advisor, he lifted me up. He has given me the confidence to be where I am today.”

She added, “And Professor Moran has helped me with a lot of the logistics of my degree and directing me on how to achieve my goals.”

When Singh first started working with Veneziano, she told him her main goal was to work on translational technologies that “make it from the research bench to the bedside of the patient,” she said.

Bioengineering professor Remi Veneziano and Shrishti Singh in the lab. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

Veneziano supported her vision, and Singh has spent her PhD not only developing the technology, but ensuring that it is simple and reproducible.

When Singh encountered roadblocks in her research, she said Moran and Veneziano offered two different research perspectives to help her find the best solution. And what was most important to Singh, when things got hard, they supported her.

“In my PhD, I’ve struggled so much with who I am,” she said. “I’ve had people tell me that my kindness and empathy will not get me where I want to be in science, and that was really hard for me.”

Both Veneziano and Moran have since taught her that those people were wrong.

“Working with a new professor takes courage and trust, and I am honored that she put her trust in me,” said Moran. “Shrishti is one of the most resilient, self-motivated, and caring people I have ever met. She is an inspiration to us all.”

“Professor Moran’s greatest advice has been that no matter what is happening around you or what people say, take the opportunity for growth, but don’t change who you are inherently as a person,” said Singh.

And when rejection gets overwhelming, Veneziano advised Singh to take it one day at a time and ask herself “what did I achieve today?”

“Shrishti has an extremely high work ethic,” said Veneziano. “She is dedicated and has a passion for science, and she wants to work on projects that have a positive impact on our society.”

The technology Singh has created also has many other uses that she hopes to explore in the future. For example, it could also be used for surgeons to better visualize the margins of a tumor during surgery.

After graduation in December, Singh hopes to turn her technology into a successful company. With support from her advisors and Amy Adams, executive director of the Institute for Biohealth Innovation, Singh will seek funding for a post-doctoral program and apply for grants to fund more research on her project.

“This experience has shown me the true power of Mason,” says Singh. “I look forward to building more confidence in my work to inspire others on what I do and why I do it.”

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Mason team is one of 10 Phase 1 winners of the LymeX Diagnostics Prize

John Hollis — Tue, 06 Dec 2022 15:44:47 +0000

Mason team is one of 10 Phase 1 winners of the LymeX Diagnostics Prize John Hollis Tue, 12/06/2022 - 10:44

University Professor Lance Liotta is the co-founder and co-director of Mason's Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine. Photo by Creative Services

A ��AV team led by Alessandra Luchini and Lance Liotta has been named one of 10 Phase 1 winners of the LymeX Diagnostics Prize by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Foundation.

Each of the Phase 1 winners have received $100,000 and an invitation to participate in the second phase of the contest whose aim—depending on future funding— is to accelerate the development of Lyme disease diagnostics.

“This is an important, direct test for tick pathogens that can be used not only for diagnostics, but also to monitor the success of treatment,” said Liotta, a University Professor and the co-director and co-founder of the Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine (CAPMM) within Mason’s College of Science. Luchini is a professor within CAPMM.

Research by the Mason team centered around a urine-direct test that targets specific protein molecules made by the Lyme organism itself to provide direct information about pathogen activity and Achilles’s heel targets for acute and persistent Lyme disease, in many ways similar to long COVID.

The ultimate goal of the competition is to help expedite the development of diagnostics for Food and Drug Administration review.

Luchini said she was “honored and excited” about the selection of their work.

Alessandra Luchini is an associate professor within CAPMM. Photo by Creative Services

“This is a great opportunity to bring our research work to the next level, to transform the technology into a test that can be run in any clinical laboratory and help thousands of patients with their struggles with Lyme disease,” she said.

There were 52 entries in the contest’s first phase, using techniques such as radiological imaging, geonomics sequencing and microfluidics, according to the Cohen Foundation. Approaches used for diagnosing other infectious diseases, such as COVID, were incorporated into some of the submissions. Technical reviewers evaluated the submissions before they went to the panel of judges.

“Early detection and treatment are essential in the fight against this debilitating disease. The Phase 1 winning solutions provide hope for a future in which anyone can quickly and easily get an accurate Lyme disease diagnosis,” said Cohen Foundation President Alexandra Cohen. “We look forward to advancing the next generation of innovative Lyme disease diagnostics and providing the necessary structure for winners on their path to FDA review and approval.”

Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States. Caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, it is most often transmitted to humans through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks. Typical symptoms include fever, headache and fatigue. If left untreated, the infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system.

The current two-tier serological testing system used to detect Lyme disease relies on the presence of antibodies and can only be used four to six weeks after infection to assess prior exposure. In contrast, the Mason test measures proteins coming directly from the bacteria, thus it provides a real-time reading on the state of the infection.

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Using community-engaged research to develop patient-centered solutions

Colleen Rich — Thu, 17 Nov 2022 18:06:38 +0000

Using community-engaged research to develop patient-centered solutions Colleen Rich Thu, 11/17/2022 - 13:06

Learn more about our work supported by NSF

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Through NSF funding, graduate students and community partners find novel solutions to public health problems
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Nearly one in five Americans lives with a disability that negatively impacts their daily lives. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, it is estimated that in 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to adding an additional 1.2 million people with disabilities compared to 2020.

This crisis has highlighted the urgent need for cutting-edge solutions, and ��AV’s Center for Adaptive Systems of Brain-Body Interactions (CASBBI) is poised to answer this call by way of their NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) Program.

The 2022-23 NRT cohort took a tour of the MIX's makerspace in Horizon Hall. Photo by NRT

The NRT program was established in 2019 with a five-year grant of nearly $3 million from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and is preparing an interdisciplinary, community-engaged STEM workforce with the expertise necessary for cross-disciplinary collaboration. Through this program, Mason graduate students from engineering, computer science, clinical psychology, social work, neuroscience, data science, and other fields work alongside partners from the local community on yearlong projects to identify difficulties faced by individuals with disabilities and to develop powerful solutions.

Earlier this year, students presented their design projects to the Mason community and a wide range of community partners and stakeholders, including behavioral health providers, administrators, advocates, and individuals with lived experience.

“The student-led projects result in tools that will aid our community partners working with individuals affected by substance use disorders, reentry after incarceration, mental health disorders, and mobility impairments,” said CASBBI director Siddhartha Sikdar, who leads the traineeship program.

One of the teams, Team Physical-Mental Solutions, analyzed accessibility obstacles on Mason’s Fairfax Campus for those with mobility impairments, and they proposed a smartphone application with navigational support that avoids common barriers that individuals with disabilities frequently come across, such as steep inclines and rough terrain. Team member and Mason doctoral student Eslam Hassan found the project to be deeply gratifying because of its real-world applications.

“Being able to design and develop a project that assists individuals with mobility impairments, while advocating for awareness of the initiative on the Fairfax Campus, was a highlight of my graduate career,” said Hassan, who is working on a PhD in the Department of Psychology.

NRT cohort members collaborate on a challenge in the MIX makerspace. Photo by NRT

The Good Troublers, whose team name was inspired by a quote from late U.S. Representative John Lewis, investigated how people struggling with opioid addiction can be better connected with professional resources. Their intervention—a mobile application that checks in on the user and recommends public services—reflects the group’s multidisciplinary backgrounds. While social work, neuroscience, and computer science may not seem like naturally complementary fields, the NRT Program provided the students with the opportunity to come together in a purposeful way.

“Participating on a team with people from diverse backgrounds challenged siloed views and helped me see problems from numerous angles that I wouldn’t have considered previously,” said Jonathan Mbuya, a PhD student in the Department of Computer Science and a member of the Good Troublers team.

In addition to expressing enthusiasm for the solutions that the students proposed, the community partners offered additional context based on their direct knowledge about the communities and recommended next steps for expanded research.

Both the 2021-22 NRT cohort and the incoming 2022-23 cohort, made up of 18 students, benefited from their involvement in the presentations, becoming more cognizant of the complexity of the problems encountered by people with disabilities. Sikdar is confident that the initiative can continue to address the critical needs of people with disabilities with its emphasis on cooperation across disciplines and communication skills.

“Utilizing a bold and innovative model, the NRT program offers training on understanding issues from multiple perspectives, using team science to produce creative answers, and communicating results to a broad audience,” said Sikdar, who is a faculty member in the Department of Bioengineering and a member of the Institute for Biohealth Innovation (IBI).

Amy Adams, IBI’s executive director, appreciates CASBBI’s efforts.

“I am proud of the diligence and dedication shown by the NRT fellows, who are working to combat significant health challenges and making a difference in the lives of people with disabilities,” said Adams. “In addition to helping advance research for broader impact, they are also gaining invaluable skills that will prepare them to readily enter the workforce.”

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Striving for a better understanding of late autism diagnosis

Shayla Brown — Fri, 21 Oct 2022 20:38:14 +0000

Striving for a better understanding of late autism diagnosis Shayla Brown Fri, 10/21/2022 - 16:38

��AV researcher Allison Jack recently received an Autism Center of Excellence (ACE) Network award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for her research efforts aimed at understanding why some autistic individuals receive very late diagnoses, or none at all.

Allison Jack. Photo by Sierra Guard/Creative Services

NIH’s ACE Program funds large research projects to understand and develop interventions for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This project is a collaboration between multiple universities, hospitals, and organizations.

“When we have people getting these late diagnoses that limit their ability to access a lot of supportive services,” said Jack, an assistant professor in Mason’s Psychology Department, “we were also noticing in our data that these individuals who had these late diagnoses were reporting much poorer quality of life with greater anxiety and depression.”

Jack has worked on the longitudinal project since its inception, starting as a postdoctoral fellow studying with Yale’s Kevin Pelphrey. Pelphrey, Jack and Lauren Kenworthy, director at Children’s National’s Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders, are the three MPIs on the project.

During the early phases of the project, their team looked at children between the ages 8-17. “We tried to describe autistic girls, their brains, their genetics, and their behavior. Are they different from autistic boys in any way? Are they different from neurotypical kids?”

The following phase of the project was disrupted by COVID. “It ended up being a lot of online follow-ups with these kids who had come in the first five years of the project,” said Jack. “They were getting older, and we were following them into adolescence and the transition into adulthood to see how these youth were doing over time.”

Allison Jack. Photo by Sierra Guard/Creative Services

A tangible product their team hopes to have at the end of their research will allow patients to be diagnosed who are routinely missed by current methods.

“Ultimately, the tool will be a concise series of questions that an individual and/or caregiver can answer via a smartphone, web page, or via pencil and paper,” said Pelphrey, who is part of the Child Study Center at the Yale School of Medicine. “This tool will provide a diagnostic access point for adolescents and adults at risk for late diagnosis.”

“Dr. Jack started with us and was instrumental in making this project successful,” said Pelphrey. “She’s been the primary author on several of the most important and impactful papers to come out of this work. It’s been an honor to watch her professional development.”

The award is special, said Jack, due to its highly competitive and high-profile nature.

This is the project’s third round of funding since 2012. "The sites that are working on east centers or east networks tend to get thought of as premiere locations for autism research nationwide, so this is a pretty big deal in the autism world!” said Jack.

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