Faculty members in psychological science (Cindy McCrea, Sydney Boutros, and Matt Genuchi) and materials science and engineering (Peter Müllner) were recently awarded funds for projects via the Rocky Mountain Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub. The hub is a National Institutes of Health funded hub dedicated to accelerating the translation of biomedical research discoveries into technologies that address unmet medical needs, disease burden and health disparities for populations in the Mountain West. The teams received funding for the following projects:
Development of a Tailored Virtual Intervention for Men at Risk for Suicide: Acceptability and Market Potential – Genuchi and McCrea
Innovative solutions are needed that provide men with mental health support that is easily accessible and thoughtfully tailored to their unique needs and values. To address this need, the research team is developing a self-directed, virtual intervention tailored specifically for men who are at elevated risk of suicide. The research team will ultimately develop a self-directed, virtual intervention tailored specifically for men who are at elevated risk of suicide.
Brain Health with Virtual Reality: VR-Scent for the Detection of Alzheimer’s Disease – Boutros and Müllner
We propose a novel approach for early detection of Alzheimer’s through the development of a scent-delivery device that can be integrated with virtual reality headsets. Current diagnostic approaches primarily rely on identifying hallmark symptoms such as memory loss, confusion, and irritability. However, widespread neuropathology and cellular loss have already occurred by this time, making treatment more difficult. One of the earliest indicators of AD is loss of smell, preceding diagnosis by 5 years. We have designed a scent-delivery device that attaches to the front of commercially available virtual reality headsets. We are investigating if our VR-Scent device can be used to enable earlier detection and intervention.
This research was supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number U01GM152530. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.