Greystone Medical Group and UTHSC have been awarded $1 million from the U.S. Department of Defense to research and develop hemostatic agents for treating battlefield injuries.
Greystone Medical Group and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) have been awarded $1 million from the U.S. Department of Defense to research and develop hemostatic agents for treating battlefield injuries.
The Office of Naval Research’s Division for Casualty Care and Management will administer these funds. The $1 million appropriation is included in the Fiscal Year 2005 Defense Appropriations Conference Report. Senator Bill Frist, Senator Lamar Alexander and Congressman Marsha Blackburn supported Greystone and UTHSC’s request for research funding. President George Bush approved the Conference Report on August 5, 2004.
In order to expedite this research, the Office of Naval Research awarded an additional $150,000 research grant to Bob Moore, II, Ph.D. at UTHSC. Dr. Moore is conducting the research on this experimental drug, which is being developed to treat severe battlefield wounds and potentially save lives.
“Greater than 50% of combat deaths are due to the rapid loss of blood within minutes of wounding. Thus, the identification and development of agents that will quickly and effectively control severe hemorrhage is the primary focus of the navy’s Casualty Care and Management program,” said Michael B. Given, Ph.D., Program Officer, Casualty Care & Management at the Office of Naval Research.
According to Dr. Moore, “Our research has led us to a potential drug, which rapidly stops blood loss from life-threatening wounds. This drug therapy would allow field medics to rapidly stabilize and stop bleeding in a trauma victim. As a result, wound treatment time per casualty would be reduced thus permitting more rapid resuscitation measures to prevent the development of severe hemorrhagic shock