Projects funded by TAF

Dr. Hannah Shorrock, assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the UAlbany RNA institute, specializes in the study of therapeutic intervention in neurodegenerative diseases. Joined by John Douglas Cleary, assistant director of research at the RNA Institute, the group’s research focuses on the use of small-molecule therapeutics to unlock new pathways to treat neurodegenerative diseases. With TAF support, the two researchers currently lead the effort in utilizing small-molecule therapeutics to treat repeat-expansion diseases, like Huntington’s disease. Starting at the root of the disease, Shorrock and Cleary seek to expand the capability of treatment by shifting the focus to treating the disease itself and not just the symptoms.

Watch Hannah Shorrock and John Douglas Cleary's video to learn more.

Inventor of the world’s first carbon nanotube p-n junction diode, Dr. Ji Ung Lee, turns his attention to quantum computing in his most recent research endeavor. With the support of TAF, Lee has begun designing a 2D topological computing chip that can drastically expand the efficiency of complex quantum operations. With increased accuracy and reduced latency, Lee holds the opportunity to revolutionize the utility of quantum computing beyond its established foundation of uses.

Watch Ji Ung Lee's TAF video to learn more.

UAlbany’s Dr. Scott Tenenbaum channels his research focus on the human genome to utilize RNA for therapeutic treatment of a wide variety of diseases. Currently, mRNA serves to prevent disease through use in vaccines and has utility in the treatment of genetic, viral, and cancerous diseases. Additional funding from TAF allows Tenenbaum to continue advancing sxRNA, a synthetic form of mRNA that offers a safer and more targeted approach to RNA-based therapeutics. With the ability to test the function of sxRNA, Tenenbaum opens new pathways into the use of mRNA therapeutics in medical treatment.

Watch Scott Tenenbaum's TAF video to learn more.

With the improvement of AI tools, the ability to distinguish authentic content becomes more difficult. As a result, Dr. Yu Chen leverages his extensive research background in internet security and privacy to create CerVaLens, a mobile AI detection tool. By detecting inconsistencies within the AI-generated content that are invisible to the naked eye, CerVaLens provides a crucial layer of protection to consuming content. With the support of TAF, Chen can take this technology from a lab setting to a commercial space, allowing this technology to help identify the authenticity of content on a large scale.

Watch Yu Chen's TAF video to learn more.

After a surprising discovery in the lab, Dr. Anna Blumenthal-Perry is developing JumpStart, a targeted, RNA-based treatment for acute respiratory distress syndrome that gets delivered directly to the lungs via lipid nanoparticles. Blumenthal-Perry’s deep knowledge of cellular biology enables her to explore new ways of using RNA to treat diseases. JumpStart aims to treat this condition not by addressing its symptoms but by changing the state of the cells that cause the problem within the lungs. Funding from TAF allows Blumenthal-Perry and her team to expand their research from testing in cell cultures to testing in living organisms.

Watch Anna Blumental-Perry's TAF video to learn more.

What started as research into airway obstruction during seizures turned into a respiratory monitoring device for children with obstructive sleep apnea. SUNY Downstate's Dr. Mark Stewart and Dr. Rena Orman lead the creation of this wearable respiratory monitor designed to serve as a non-invasive method of detecting dangerous respiratory events. With the support of TAF, Stewart and Orman have the facilities to create the device prototype and test its utility in collaboration with a Yale University sleep lab. The two researchers’ combined backgrounds have resulted in an innovative device with the capability to save the lives of many children.

Watch Mark Stewart and Rena Orman's TAF video to learn more.

SUNY College of Optometry’s Dr. Zi Rui (Jerry) Li and Dr. Jingyun Wang have utilized the funding provided by TAF to design a contact lens capable of correcting misalignment of the eyes. Commonly referred to as cross-eyed, this contact lens helps to correct this misalignment of vision and ensure that it does not progress into greater vision problems. The ongoing research conducted by these two researchers has resulted in a unique design that has addressed this issue in a way that has not happened in the past. With the additional support from TAF, Li and Wang hope to bring these lenses into clinical trials and further the impact created by their research. 

Watch Jingyun Wang and Zi Rui (Jerry) Li's TAF video to learn more.

With new technological advancements made every day, there is a drastic need for improved wireless networks to support these advancements. At SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Dr. Arjun Singh spearheads the research of terahertz communication, which has the capability to increase the speed of wireless networks by over 1,000 times. With support from TAF, Singh can develop new technologies that can decode these terahertz signals, allowing the technology to access a whole new set of functions based on increased connectivity and reduced latency while in use. This research stands at the base of expanding the capability to build future technologies like autonomous cars and augmented reality tools.

Watch Arjun Singh's TAF video to learn more.

Leveraging both personal experience and vast research knowledge regarding body kinematics and its relation to machine learning, Dr. Anurag Purwar has developed MotionGen, an AI-driven software for creating mechanical systems for machines. This software enables engineers, educators, students and designers to invent new machines within a variety of industries. The support from TAF will allow Purwar to create this software on an enterprise level for professionals that will greatly expand their reach and ability to inspire innovation. With this development, Purwar can inspire the creation of even more innovations that create change within the world.

Watch Anurag Purwar's TAF video to learn more.

Stony Brook University’s Dr. Gurtej Singh brings his research interest in tissue engineering to life with an acellular skin graft to improve the healing process for chronic wounds. Due to the graft’s lack of cells, its use as a treatment creates no risk of immune rejection and therefore could serve as a first-line treatment for wounds. The funding provided by TAF has allowed Singh and his team to further refine the design, allowing them to create an affordable and effective treatment. By building blood vessels into the graft, it can work within different types of wounds, allowing for a variety of applications.

Watch Gurtej Singh's TAF video to learn more.

Dr. Leszek Kotula's study of cancer at SUNY Upstate Medical University has led him to design a test to identify biomarkers in Saliva that could indicate how a patient will react to prostate cancer treatment. Kotula hopes to pair this diagnostic tool with other tools to identify how a patient will respond to treatment. With support from TAF, the easily deployable test could be deployed in a clinical setting, allowing for a consistent, lifelong monitoring of patient responses to treatment. This test supports Kotula in his goal of advancing the treatment of prostate cancer in patients.

Watch Leszek Kotula's TAF video to learn more.