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ATLANTA, Ga. (June 8, 2009) - Georgia Tech
officials on Tuesday unveiled a $5 million research center aimed at
finding better ways to heal combat wounds and speeding those
treatments into military use.
Often, such advances lag for long periods before moving into
clinical use, said Barbara Boyan, the director of the new center.
Many researchers focus on study and publishing in scientific
journals rather than planning to move a product to the market, she
said.
The Georgia Tech Center for Advanced Bioengineering for Soldier
Survivability has coupled with several medical device firms early
on, giving it an edge in moving advancements into medical use, she
said.
Researchers at the center, who include clinicians and
consultants experienced in combat medical care, focus on the
healing of wounds, broken bones and massive muscle loss.
Medical care on the battlefield largely focuses on stabilizing a
soldier, such as stopping bleeding and preventing infection, Boyan
said. Often that soldier can be back in the U.S. for medical care
within two days.
"We can take a concept discovered in an academic setting and
transfer it into helping improve their lives," Boyan said.
The researchers currently are focusing on using a person's own
stem cells -- not the controversial stem cells taken from human
embryos -- to enhance tissue and bone repair.
They are developing a better way to deliver stem cells to an
injured area, in which the cells take hold and help grow tissue and
bone, she said.
The center began its research last year but only recently
received full funding, officials said.
Boyan, who is also the associate dean for research at Georgia
Tech's College of Engineering, said the researchers hope their work
leads to clinical trials within three years and is in use within
five.
Eventually, she hopes the advancements will be used in civilian
trauma centers.
The center receives funding from the Armed Forces Institute of
Regenerative Medicine, the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical
Research's Orthopedic Trauma Research Program, the U.S. Department
of Defense and from private industry.
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