PROJECT TITLE: LED-based lighting system used with Hyperbaric Oxygen and KGF-2 growth factor to accelerate wound healing on long range space missions
TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Improved wound healing may have multiple applications, which may benefit civilian medical care, military situations and long-term space flights. In space wounds may heal differently than here on earth. Laser light has shown some benefit for wound healing, but has limited surface area and wavelength. Advances in semiconductor technology, developed for NASA's long range life support missions, have led to the development of light emitting diode systems capable of high irradiant output equivalent or superior to laser sources being used in wound healing today. These LEDs offer the potential for dramatic improvement in wound healing over lasers for future space flight, civilian and military applications.
POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The initial thrust of this research is to develop a device and methodology to accelerate the healing of wounds that may be encountered in the day to day operations and construction of the International Space Station. There is no doubt that this photo-accelerated wound healing technology, once demonstrated for space, can be immediately applied to military applications, and will have a profound economic implications for the health care industry here on Earth. A laser source, due to inherent physical constraints and initial capital investment, has limited the acceptance of this technology thus far. With the development of a low cost LED source, the photo-accelerated wound healing technology will find its way into rural area medical facilities thereby making the technology readily available to everyone. The world wide commercial implications for this device technology are enormous.
NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Ronald W. Ignatius
Quantum Devices, Inc.
112 Orbison St.
Barneveld , WI 53507
NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR
Quantum Devices, Inc.
112 Orbison Street
Barneveld , WI 53507