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Senate Hearing on VA Research: Investing Today to Guide Tomorrow's Treatment
April 27, 2006
Press Release from the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Dr. Weir, Dr. Kupersmith, Dr. Perlin and Sen. Craig
(Washington, DC) A new type of prosthetic hand was demonstrated today at a hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Chairman Larry Craig even got to use the device himself as electrodes were hooked to his upper forearm.
Within a few seconds he was able to have the prosthetic hand hold a glass of
water.
Craig is an advocate for more
research and development by VA scientists, especially to meet the needs of
those who have been injured in combat. During
a hearing today on VA research, he noted the past
accomplishments of VA researchers.
"VA research has played a major role in a number of
historic breakthroughs: the first successful liver transplant, the development
of the first cardiac pacemaker, and the technology that led to the development
of the CT scan – to name a few,"
Craig said.
Dr. Jonathan Perlin, the Under
Secretary of Health for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, told Craig and
other members of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs that further
developments are in the pipeline.
"Can we develop artificial
retinas so that wounded soldiers and our aging veterans can regain their sight?
Can we use our computerized medical record system and genetic samples to
individualize drug and clinical treatments, or identify those veterans who may
have a predisposition for a particular disease and prevent the onset of, rather
than treat, the symptoms?," Perlin asked, rhetorically. "The answers
to these questions must be 'yes.'"
Sen. Craig, the committee's
chairman, and Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii), the committee's lead Democrat, were
recently joined by a bipartisan group of 60 other senators who are seeking increased
funding VA research. Their request now awaits action in a subcommittee of the
Senate Appropriations Committee.
The prosthetic hand Craig was
able to demostrate today was developed by Dr. Richard
Weir, a research scientist who works at the VA Prosthetics Research
Laboratory in Chicago. The ultimate goal is to produce artificial hands and legs which can feel – providing sensory feedback to the brain.
Related resources:
Read detailed information about the hearing, and prepared statements from Dr. Perlin, Dr. Jack Feussner, Dr. Fred Wright, Dr. Dennis Stevens, Dr. John Kennedy Jr., and Committee Chairman, Senator Larry Craig.
To see pictures of the hand in
action, click on: See
the photos
To watch the footage of the hand
in action and listen to Sen. Craig's comments, click on: Watch
the video (RealPlayer required)
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