A Medical Device Daily

As part of Pentagon efforts to dramatically reduce battlefield deaths, the Texas A&M Institute for Preclinical Studies (TIPS; College Station) has been awarded a $9.9 million grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop frontline treatments for U.S. military personnel injured in combat and suffering from massive blood loss.

It is estimated that half of U.S. military personnel killed in action die because of severe blood loss from injuries such as gunshot wounds or improvised explosive devices. When such a severe blood loss occurs, it is critical for the injured person to receive emergency trauma care within the first hour (the golden hour) to provide the highest chances of survival. Unfortunately, many combat casualties occur in inaccessible locations where rapid evacuation is impossible.

The goal of the research to be carried out by TIPS is to develop and test small volume medications that can be given rapidly on the battlefield to extend the golden hour by as much as six hours. If successful, these medications would give injured troops a much higher chance of survival.

The DARPA grant is the first multi-million dollar award for TIPS, and among the largest single competitive federal awards received by Texas A&M University.