YOUNGTSOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – Universities are great places for learning and also for research. There’s a project going on at YSU right now that could change how we fight disease.

YSU is doing some really cool things in research.

The idea is to find cures for things like Alzheimer’s, CTE and even PTSD.

“It just really thrills me that we’re able to do this,” said Bill Hartman, a 1964 YSU grad.

His company, Halberd, has identified four cytokines, substances that come from the immune system and have an effect on other cells.

Already, they’ve eliminated two of them, and they’ll start work on a third.

“Dr. Sturrus is going to try and eliminate that using radio frequencies and lasers starting Monday. This coming Monday. We’re that close,” Hartman said.

If they can eliminate all of them, it could demonstrate the ability to eliminate or attenuate Alzheimer’s.

The intellectual property is based on the Felder Doctrine, which is physically removing the basis of the disease with lasers or radio frequency and a chemical bonding process.

“If you think about that sentence very carefully, you realize that beats any disease,” said Dr. Mitchell Felder, Halberd Chief Technology Officer.

Halberd is trying to work in a space where the big pharmaceuticals aren’t or have failed.

It’s trying to find a new way for beating diseases having a major impact across America by eliminating the normal side effects of internally induced medications.

“This is almost instantaneous versus intravenous antibiotics in which it could take hours to maybe even days to kill the infectious pathogen. Here you’re doing it almost instantaneously,” Dr. Felder said.

The research at YSU started in February, and the intent remains to establish Proof of Concept.