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AssistENT
Institution: Johns Hopkins University
Student Team: Clay Andrews, Melissa Austin, Talia Kirschbaum, and Theodore Lee
Advisor: Patrick Byrne
Restricted nasal breathing is one of the most common complaints heard by ENT (ear, nose, and throat) specialists. This condition is a daily source of discomfort that reduces productivity and quality of life. Slight dilation of the nasal passages directly counteracts nasal obstruction and reverses symptoms in 89% of those afflicted. To this end, many patients undergo functional rhinoplasty procedures to surgically widen the nasal passages. However, up to 20% of patients experience unimproved or worsened symptoms postoperatively. We are developing Schnozzle, a comfortable and discreet nasal dilator that improves breathing instantly upon insertion. Schnozzle is also designed with form-fitting materials that enhance comfort and grip the nasal cavity to safely remain in position. The device's use case is analogous to that of a contact lens; rather than undergoing invasive nasal reconstruction, users will simply deploy the device in the nose to breathe better instantly.
OptoDyCE: Optical Dynamic Cardiac Electrophysiology
Institution: The George Washington University
Student: Aleks Klimas
Advisor: Emilia Entcheva
The OptoDyCE Platform will provide drug researchers and developers with a high-throughput (HT), high-content, low-cost solution to quantify cardiotoxicity to deliver cheaper, more effective, and safer drug treatments. OptoDyCE will improve cardiotoxicity prediction in early-phase drug development. It has been estimated that better preclinical study design...