Browsing by Subject "therapeutic interventions"

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    IUPUI Imaging Research Initiative: Research Center for Quantitative Renal Imaging
    (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2014-04-11) Holland, Mark
    Mission: The overall mission of the Research Center for Quantitative Renal Imaging is to provide a focused research environment and resource for the development, implementation, and dissemination of innovative, quantitative imaging methods designed to assess the status of and mechanisms associated with acute and chronic kidney disease and evaluate efficacy of therapeutic interventions. Currently, there is no comprehensive research center within the United States that is solely dedicated to the development of quantitative imaging methods specifically designed to diagnose kidney disease, monitor its progression, and evaluate efficacy of therapeutic interventions. The Research Center for Quantitative Renal Imaging represents a very unique resource within the nephrology and medical imaging communities that is distinctly associated with IUPUI and the IU School of Medicine. Nature of the Center: Our plan is to build upon the individually successful research programs and infrastructure that currently exist within our institution and weave these individual components into a new, unified, and unique Research Center focused on developing novel and innovative methods for quantitative imaging of the kidney. Goals: The Research Center for Quantitative Renal Imaging will achieve its mission by: • Identifying, developing, and implementing innovative imaging methods that provide quantitative imaging biomarkers for assessing and inter-relating renal structure, function, hemodynamics and underlying tissue microenvironmental factors contributing to kidney disease. • Establishing an environment that facilitates and encourages interdisciplinary collaborations among investigators, helps advance the research careers of junior faculty, and offers research support to investigators focused on developing and utilizing innovative quantitative imaging methods in support of kidney disease research. • Providing a resource to inform the greater research and healthcare communities of advances in quantitative renal imaging and its potential for enhanced patient management and care. • Offering an imaging research resource to pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers engaged in product development associated with the diagnosis and treatment of kidney disease.
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    The Reinforcing Properties of Drugs of Abuse are Attenuated by Naltrexone in Caenorhabditis elegans
    (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2016-04-08) Calhoun, Corey A.; Katner, Simon N.; Engleman, Eric A.; Neal-Beliveau, Bethany S.
    Drug addiction is a chronic, relapsing disease premised on compulsive drug seeking. Previous work from our lab demonstrated that the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) can be used to examine the reinforcing properties of drugs of abuse. A successful model for studying the reinforcing effects of drugs in C. elegans would greatly aid efforts to discover potential therapeutic interventions for drug addiction. The present study examined preference for morphine, ethanol, cocaine, and a cannabinoid agonist (CB agonist) in C. elegans and the effect of naltrexone, an opioid antagonist, on this behavior. Six-well agar test plates were utilized to test drug preference. Each well had two circular target zones equidistant from the center; 4μl of the targeted drug or water were placed in the center of one of the two target zones within each well. Worms in one group were pre-treated with 10mM naltrexone, while controls were pre-treated with 0.97 mM HCl for 30 min prior to testing. Worms in each treatment group were then placed in the center of each well and allowed to move freely for 30 minutes-images were captured at 10 and 30 minutes. Animals treated with vehicle displayed a significant preference for the aforementioned drugs relative to controls; naltrexone pretreatment significantly ameliorated this effect. Naltrexone had no effect on food or chemoatractant preference, indicating that the effects of naltrexone on drug preference are selective and not due to disruption in general behaviors. These findings suggest that the reinforcing properties of drugs of abuse can be examined in C. elegans and this model may be useful for screening potential pharmacotherapies for drug abuse.
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    Research Center for Quantitative Renal Imaging
    (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2015-04-17) Research Center for Quantitative Renal Imaging
    Mission: The overall mission of the Research Center for Quantitative Renal Imaging is to provide a focused research environment and resource for the development, implementation, and dissemination of innovative, quantitative imaging methods designed to assess the status of and mechanisms associated with acute and chronic kidney disease and evaluate efficacy of therapeutic interventions. Nature of the Center: IUPUI has several established research programs focused on understanding the fundamental mechanisms associated with kidney diseases along with established groups of investigators dedicated to the development of advanced imaging methods and quantitative analyses. This Research Center provides a formal mechanism to link these independently successful research efforts into a focused effort dedicated toward the development and implementation of quantitative renal imaging methods. The goals of the IUPUI Research Center for Quantitative Renal Imaging are to: Identify, develop, and implement innovative imaging methods that provide quantitative imaging biomarkers for assessing and inter-relating renal structure, function, hemodynamics and underlying tissue micro-environmental factors contributing to kidney disease. Establish an environment that facilitates and encourages interdisciplinary collaborations among investigators and offers research support to investigators focused on developing and utilizing innovative quantitative imaging methods in support of kidney disease research. Provide a resource to inform the greater research and healthcare communities of advances in quantitative renal imaging and its potential for enhanced patient management and care. Offer an imaging research resource to companies engaged in product development associated with the diagnosis and treatment of kidney diseases. Further Information: For further information regarding the IUPUI Research Center for Quantitative Renal Imaging and its funding programs please visit http://www.renalimaging.iupui.edu/ or contact the Center at renalimg@iupui.edu. Acknowledgments: The IUPUI Research Center for Quantitative Renal Imaging is supported by contributions from the IUPUI Signature Center Initiative, the Department of Radiology & Imaging Sciences; the Division of Nephrology, the IUPUI School of Science, the IUPUI School of Engineering & Technology, and the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI).