Defense

Proposed Recipient:              Florida Gulf Coast University

 

Amount of Request:              $1,500,000.00

Total Project Cost:                 $2,000,000.00

 

Many commonly available biocides and toxin decontamination procedures are both too toxic and too persistent for certain applications. Chlorine, for example, is a very effective agent for sterilization and toxin destruction, but it can engender serious problems arising from its persistence and reactivity. Sometimes, the intake air or water entering a sealed compartment must be completely decontaminated, but new hazards arising from the deployed decontamination treatment must be avoided, particularly when the protected space is occupied by people. Currently, decontamination procedures are problematic because harsh, persistent agents are utilized, and although harsh decontaminating agents will destroy microbes and toxins, they can also harm human health, sensitive electronic equipment, furnishings and documents. Clearly, new biocides and toxin decontamination agents are needed and we have been researching alternatives and developing new applications. Short persistence times, acute toxicity in the killing zone, (immediately followed by a cessation of toxicity) and/or the ability to switch the biocidal activity “off”, are highly desirable attributes. Our proprietary photocatalytic technology (a patent has been filed) produces biocidal oxidants during UV illumination, but when the light is turned off, the biocidal oxidant activity ceases within seconds, and residual oxidants spontaneously decompose or biodegrade. Further, the photocatalytic coatings we have discovered have electrical properties with a sensor activity, making them amenable to the creation of a device which can both detect and decontaminate, (with both capabilities contained within one unit). We have also begun to develop a family of alkaline biocides, with an enhanced permeability component to increase lethality. These biocides cab be switched off by dilution and neutralization. New enhancements of existing oxidant systems are also being investigated. We intend to combine our expertise in materials science, biochemistry, molecular biology, analytical chemistry, marine biology, microbiology, and engineering to develop new biocidal technologies and solve problems of disinfection and toxin destruction in the context of biomedical, environmental and bio-defense applications. The technologies described above are “multi-use” and have applications in the fields of medicine, agriculture, aquaculture, and bio-defense.

 

 

Diversification of economy through development of new technologies attracting high tech high wage jobs. Development of environmentally friendly detection and detoxification technologies.

 

Proposed Recipient:              Miami Children’s Hospital

 

Amount of Request:               $1,500,000.00

Total Project Cost:                  $3,500,000.00

 

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is exceedingly common in soldiers exposed to blasts. In the aftermath of TBI, events such as fluctuations in the blood flow to the brain and seizures markedly aggravate the harm caused by the trauma itself. Unfortunately, although the brain is the organ at greatest risk, critical care facilities generally do not provide continuous monitoring of the brain. Early detection of blood flow fluctuations and seizures through continuous monitoring thus opens a window of opportunity for early neuroprotective treatment strategies - a “salvage operation” to dramatically minimize the harm caused by the TBI. The research and instrumentation proposed for additional development at MCH would provide for battlefield applications that benefit the troops on the ground in dangerous combat operations, and who are increasingly subject to TBI through exposure to improvised explosive device blasts and other combat related injuries. Miami Children’s Brain Institute (MCBI) scientists have been innovating novel optical imaging [OI] tools to define blood flow in the brain for other clinical applications. The (OI) equipment is portable, easy to use and operates in real time. Its design is versatile so that critical measurements of brain function can be made across the intact skull or directly from the brain surface. OI can thus serve as a valuable tool for a rapid, non-invasive, and safe assessment/monitoring of brain function in wounded soldiers; both in the military’s critical care facilities or the field setting. Early detection will allow prompt treatment interventions and lead to better outcomes.

 

This project will allow for the development of equipment that will allow for the rapid assessment and diagnosis of traumatic brain injuries for troops in the field and subsequently monitor the specific blood flow patterns in the brain. This will allow for new neuroprotective treatment modalities to be introduced that will significantly protect brain tissue and function, and provide for better health outcomes and recovery periods for wounded soldiers.

 

 

This project will increase soldier survivability and reduce the negative neurological effects for any soldier suffering a traumatic brain injury. Early detection and assessment of TBI and continuous monitoring of blood flow in the brain will allow battlefield critical care facilities to treat wounded soldiers with new neuroprotective treatment options that significantly reduce the brain cell death that occurs progressively following TBI. This will wounded soldiers to have less significant lasting health effects following a TBI, and this will subsequently improve health outcomes and reduce rehabilitation time.

 

Proposed Recipient:              University of Miami

 

Amount of Request:               $3,000,000.00

 

Effective treatments and cures for blinding eye trauma and disease are within our grasp. While remarkable advances have been made in recent decades, the remaining problems of eye trauma and eye disease are enormously complex. Nevertheless, the knowledge and technologies are out there in our universities and industry, waiting to be captured by ophthalmology. ONOVA (an acronym for the Center for Ophthalmic Innovation) at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute brings together ideas, people, and cutting-edge technology from diverse backgrounds and venues – across medicine, biotechnology, and biomedical engineering – to develop practical solutions. The objective of this program is to bring the research efforts to the patient and to assembly the required multidisciplinary teams to accomplish this goal in the most efficient manner for rapid implementation.

 

Military Significance:

 

Severe ocular injuries from combat encountered in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan represent a significant and frequent source of lifetime visual disability and is of immediate concern to the DOD. Approximately 10% to 17% of war casualties are due to eye trauma. For instance, in Operation Iraqi Freedom there were 797 ocular injuries between March 2003 and December 2005 resulting in 438 open eye injuries (i.e. ruptured globes). During an 8-month period alone from January to September 2004, 207 active military personnel in Iraq suffered severe ocular or ocular adnexal injuries, including 132 open globes with 82% of all ocular injuries caused by blast fragmentation from munitions and improvised explosive device. In addition, millions of retired military personnel suffer from disabling eye diseases with similar prevalence as the US population.

 

The current appropriation request will enable ONOVA not only to continue its current projects but also to perform new research projects based on the following ONOVA research framework. This scientific framework consists of inter-related modules that tackle the difficult problems of trauma and disabling eye diseases in a logical organized manner. Progress requires integration of state-of-art technology and utilizes interdisciplinary research teams in prevention, imaging & telemedicine, and regeneration & restoration to provide solutions to ocular trauma and disabling eye diseases from different angles. This team approach has and will continue to catalyze innovative ideas and concepts that will lead to the development of novel diagnostic techniques and effective treatment strategies.

 

In the coming year we will we will add the artificial cornea (keratoprosthesis) project that develops and tests new types of cornea prosthesis. Prosthetic corneas have the potential of restoring vision in severe eye injuries involving the front part of the eye. Unlike donor corneal tissue, corneal prosthesis can be readily available. We will also add new projects focusing on advanced diagnostic ocular imaging techniques combined with effective telemedicine that will lessen the morbidity of traumatic ocular injuries in military operations as well as explore newer modalities to assist in the visual restoration of the injured personnel.

 

 

The Center for Ophthalmatic Innovation is located at the Bascom Palmer Institute at the University of Miami. Bascom Palmer sponsors numerous programs bringing eye care to the underserved of south Florida, a uniquely diverse population of ethnicities and races that presages the future of our nation.