Ben Miller, the Dean’s Professor of Dermatology with joint appointments in biomedical engineering and optics, also affiliated with the Materials Science Program, is leading a $1.7 million project to develop an optical chip on a disposable card that can detect exposure to multiple viruses within a minute—including the coronavirus that causes COVID-19—from a single drop of blood.

The card will enable clinicians not only to detect and study COVID-19, but also to better understand potential relationships between COVID-19 infection and previous infections and immunity to other respiratory viruses, including circulating coronaviruses that cause the common cold.

“One of the attractive aspects of this is there’s a pathway for this technology to eventually be used in a doctor’s office or a pharmacy,” Miller says.

The project is funded by the US Department of Defense Manufacturing Technology Program using CARES Act funds through a contract with AIM Photonics. The collaboration also involves Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, which develops and manufactures innovative laboratory testing and blood-typing solutions at its Global Center for R&D Excellence in Rochester; Syntec Optics, a maker of polymer optics in Rochester; researchers at the NY CREATES 300mm microelectronics research facility in Albany, New York, and at the University of California at Santa Barbara and the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC.

Read more here.

People who have atopic dermatitis, a type of eczema that causes red, itchy skin, often have other allergic diseases. It can be tricky to treat all of these diseases at once – in part because drugs are tested against a single disease at a time. In a recent case study, Medical Center researchers suggest that a single drug – dupilumab – may be effective in treating multiple allergic diseases at once.

Dupilumab is already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat atopic dermatitis, asthma and chronic inflammation of the sinuses and nose – but only separately. Little was known about how dupilumab would fare against multiple allergic diseases until a case study led by Dermatology Professor Lisa Beck was published in JAAD Case Reports, the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

The study followed a nine-year-old boy who sought treatment for an uncontrolled case of atopic dermatitis. With constant itching, the boy frequently lost sleep, missed school, had difficulty concentrating and his self-esteem suffered as well.

On top of atopic dermatitis, the boy also had asthma, food and environmental allergies and a few other allergic diseases, including eosinophilic esophagitis, which is chronic inflammation of the esophagus that can cause difficulty swallowing.

Through a clinical trial, the boy was treated with dupilumab, which drastically improved not only his atopic dermatitis, but several of his other allergic diseases. After 32 weeks in the trial, he was able to stop using his asthma inhaler and esophagitis medications and greatly reduced the use of his other allergy medications. His quality of life also greatly improved with less itching, uninterrupted sleep 95 percent of the time, and improved concentration and confidence.

Read more here.

Toilet seats with high tech sensors might be the non-invasive technology of the future that could help reduce hospital return rates of individuals with heart disease.

Heart failure is one of the leading causes of adults admitted to hospitals and more than six million adults in the United States have heart disease, according to the American Heart Association. Re-hospitalizations occur in some instances within 30 days to 6 months of initial treatment. Having a way to intercept these rehospitalizations might afford patients improved care and decrease costs.

A joint project by researchers at Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) will determine if in-home monitoring can successfully monitor vital signs and reduce risk and costly re-hospitalization rates for people with heart failure. The five-year, $2.9 million venture is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The new Fully-Integrated Toilet Seat, or FIT Seat monitoring system, will incorporate artificial intelligence and improved user interfaces to provide physicians with up-to-date patient data over time, such as blood pressure, weight, and heart rate, and in a format that is easily readable. Artificial Intelligence technology will be added as part of an early alert system to help physicians identify possible deterioration sooner, said David Borkholder, the Bausch and Lomb Professor in RIT’s Kate Gleason College of Engineering. He and Wojciech Zareba, professor of medicine, cardiology at the University of Rochester Medical Center, will lead a multi-disciplinary research team to further develop the technological functionality of the FIT Seat. Read more here.

The Rochester Roybal Center for Social Ties & Aging Research (The Roc STAR Center) and the UR Aging Institute are co-sponsoring pilot awards focused on promoting the social well-being and healthy aging of those caring for a family member with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias. There are currently two pilot award opportunities: the STAR Constellation Pilot Award and the ProtoSTAR Pilot Award. Apply by Monday, January 25, 2021.

The University’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute (UR CTSI), Goergen Institute for Data Science, and the Health Science Center for Computational Innovation are hosting a virtual Medical Research Forum to bring together Goergen data science students with researchers who have data analytics needs.

The Goergen Institute for Data Science trains bachelor’s and master’s degree students who are interested in working on biomedical and/or clinical research projects.

Students can consider:

• Independent Research (unpaid, 3-6 credits, training oriented) or research trainee (unpaid, voluntary/no credit, training oriented)
• Capstone/Practicum (unpaid, team of 4 students for a semester-long project as a requirement of graduation; co-advised by data science instructor)
• Internship (paid, summer, deliverable oriented)
• Co-op (paid, 6 months, deliverable oriented)
• Post graduate employment (paid, short-term or long term)

Ideal projects can come from any area of research or discipline but should have a large data-intensive component.

Project descriptions are due today, January 15.

Questions about projects can be directed to Alex_Paciorkowski@urmc.rochester.edu and logistic/administrative questions to Tracie_Norman@urmc.rochester.edu

The deadline to apply to use the COVID-19 Biobank has been extended to Monday, February 1.

University of Rochester research faculty and staff can apply now to access COVID-19-positive and -negative serum, plasma or peripheral blood mononuclear cell samples and associated, de-identified clinical data.

See what the Biobank has to offer and apply to use the Biobank.

The University’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute (UR CTSI) is offering a new Digital Health Seedling Award that provides up to $25,000 to support research that advances the development, approval or use of innovative digital health tools.

The one-year award is available to full-time faculty at the University of Rochester who are studying digital health approaches, tools, and data including sensors and mobile technologies, electronic medical records, real world data, social media and other approaches to advance clinical research and address regulatory science needs. Apply by Monday, February 8, 2021.

Here are important links for researchers:

• The University’s COVID-19 Resource Center for important updates and guidance on working, teaching, and learning remotely
• University of Rochester Medical Center website for restrictions, resources, and news
• Office of Research and Project Administration (ORPA) site on Coronavirus 2019 resources related to sponsored programs
• The University’s COVID-19 “Restart and Recovery” web page

Vaccination, travel update: Email notifications have been delivered to the following categories of University community members letting them know that Employee Health at the Medical Center is able to schedule them for a COVID-19 vaccination:

• Faculty, staff, and matriculated students 65 years and older
• Warner School and Eastman School students who are working in preschool–grade 12 settings.

After these first groups are vaccinated, additional slots will be made available more broadly for in-person instructional faculty, who are also approved within the current New York State eligibility designations. These notifications will also be delivered through University email and will begin as vaccine supplies allow.

For University staff who do not fall within the currently approved categories but are in regular student contact, the University is working with New York State through the Office of Government Relations and with the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities to expand the categories of vaccine-eligible University workers.

Please do not call Employee Health with questions; staff members are dedicated to the vaccination process and other important employee health business.  For current updates on vaccine availability on campus, be sure to check @Rochester and the University’s COVID-19 Resource Center. For additional facts about the vaccination process through the Medical Center, see the URMC Vaccine FAQ.

The Coronavirus University Restart Team has also announced updated travel guidance for the spring semester. The new guidance is in effect through at least June 30 but may be subject to change as circumstances surrounding the pandemic evolve. You can find more information on the COVID-19 Resource Center.

Please note that the University’s COVID-19 Dashboard is updated daily and dashboard numbers may reflect additional cases confirmed later in the day. When a new case is known, the contact-tracing process begins immediately with the Monroe County Health Department, with confirmed exposures being contacted and required to quarantine. Remember:

• A temperature of 100 °F (37.8 °C) or higher
• Chills
• Muscle or body aches
• Severe fatigue
• Headache
• Congestion or runny nose
• Sore throat
• Loss of taste, smell, or appetite
• Cough, shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing
• Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea