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Computer and imaging technologies led to the development of digital pathology and the capture and storage of pathological specimens as digitally formatted images. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in digital pathology, such as in three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction, requires analyses of high volumes of data. This resulted in increased demands for processing and acquisition of digital images of pathology samples. Increased usage cannot be met by the time-consuming, manual, and laborious methods currently used.

The blood brain barrier (BBB) is a specialized endothelium that prevents the uptake of substances from the systemic circulation into the central nervous system. This barrier, while protecting the sensitive physiological environment of the brain, is also a major impediment in administering therapeutics that need to pass through the BBB. A drug delivery platform that could deliver therapeutic agents directly to the brain is needed, and could have wide ranging significance in a variety of psychiatric, oncology, infectious, and neurodegenerative diseases.

Due to the large degree of homology among dopamine D2-like receptors, discovering ligands capable of discriminating between the D2, D3, and D4 receptor subtypes remains a significant challenge. The development of subtype-selective pharmaceutical small molecules to activate (agonists) signals regulated by D2-like receptors has been especially difficult. 

Some existing therapies for treatment of pain are administered systematically and have significant side effects, such as addiction and drowsiness. Alternative therapy that does not impair normal touch function could be used to treat pain caused by mechanical injury or chronic inflammation. Administration of margaric acid was shown to ameliorate pain in mouse models of pain. In vitro data shows that margaric acid counteracts PIEZO2 (Piezo-type mechanosensitive ion channel component 2) potentiation evoked by bradykinin (i.e.

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common type of soft tissue sarcoma in children and makes up 3% of all childhood cancers. Aveloar Rhabdomyosarcoma is the most aggressive subtype and is primarily established through a chromosomal translocation resulting in the fusion protein PAX3-FOXO1. Despite aggressive therapy, the 5-year survival rate for patients with high risk or recurrent Fusion Positive RMS (FP-RMS) is low (~30% and ~17%, respectively). Therefore, new therapies targeting the PAX3-FOXO1 oncogenic driver are urgently needed.  

There are no analgesics to ameliorate chronic pain without adverse side-effects (e.g., respiratory depression, gastrointestinal effects, tolerance, dependence), thus forcing patients into a difficult choice of negative impacts on quality of life. Most of the analgesics used for chronic and acute pain are drugs such as oxycodone, morphine, oxymorphone, and codeine. All of these opioids have been subject to misuse; prescription drug abuse is a severe problem worldwide, causing high mortality and greatly increased emergency room visits.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major health problem.  Between 3.2 and 5.3 million people live with long-term disabilities resulting from TBI, and thus, contribute to the need to develop therapies that treat TBI-induced cellular damage. Researchers at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) have developed a device that simulates the pressure waves resulting from explosions.

Scientists at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) have developed a method implemented as pulse sequences and software to be used with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners and systems. This technology is available for licensing and commercial development. The method allows for measuring and mapping features of the bulk or average apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of water in tissue – aiding in stroke diagnosis and cancer therapy assessment.

Drug delivery technologies have long claimed the ability to selectively deliver therapeutic cargo to target cells. Despite advances in nanomedicine and drug delivery systems, there are no targeted nanoscale drug delivery technologies on the market. Thus, there is still tremendous potential in improved therapeutic efficacy when targeted drug delivery is achieved. 

Substance use disorder is a chronic medical condition, taking its toll on our public health care and judicial systems in an economically unsustainable way.  More than 20 million Americans suffer from substance use disorders.