- What is the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine?
- Which institutions make up AFIRM?
- How much funding is allocated to AFIRM?
- How were the AFIRM consortia chosen?
- When does the AFIRM program start?
- What sorts of therapies will be developed within AFIRM?
- Will AFIRM researchers be using embryonic stem cells?
- Can these stem cells regenerate entire arms and legs?
- What are tissue scaffolds?
- Are companies participating in AFIRM?
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine?
- Which institutions make up the AFIRM?
- How much funding is allocated to the AFIRM?
- How were the AFIRM Consortia chosen?
- What sorts of therapies are being developed within the AFIRM?
- Does "Regenerative Medicine" mean that stem cells are used?
- What are tissue scaffolds?
- Do AFIRM researchers use embryonic stem cells?
- Can these stem cells regenerate entire arms and legs?
- What about transplants? Will AFIRM be paying for whole hand and face transplants?
- Are there clinical trials for any of these AFIRM therapies planned?
- Are companies participating in the AFIRM?
- How can I receive/apply for AFIRM funding?
What is the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine?
A: The Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine (AFIRM) is a multi-institutional, interdisciplinary network of leading universities, hospitals and private companies working to develop advanced treatment options for our severely wounded Servicemen and women. The AFIRM is managed and funded through the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (MRMC), with additional funding from the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Air Force, the National Institutes of Health, the Veterans Administration, Health Affairs and local public and private matching funding.
Which institutions make up the AFIRM?
A: The AFIRM is made up of two civilian research consortia working with the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research (USAISR) in Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Each consortium is a multi-institutional network, together comprising more than 30 academic and 15 for-profit members.
- Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey and the Cleveland Clinic lead the Rutgers Cleveland Clinic Consortium
- Wake Forest University and The McGowan Institute in Pittsburgh lead the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine
How much funding is allocated to the AFIRM?
A: Each consortium was awarded $42.5 million over a period of five years. In addition, the two consortia have raised more than $200 million in local public and private matching funds to their research budgets. In each case, the full amount of the grant was allocated to the lead institution. Those lead institutions are responsible for distributing the funds among their consortium partners according to peer-reviewed work plans that address the AFIRM therapeutic objectives.
How were the AFIRM Consortia chosen?
A: The process for awarding the AFIRM grants began in January 2007, with a Request for Information (RFI) from the MRMC. Twenty-eight institutions responded to this RFI. In April 2007, a draft Request for Proposal (RFP) was sent to those 28 respondents for comment. In August 2007, MRMC released a Program Announcement (PA) which seven consortia responded. From those, two finalists were chosen for oral presentations to the Scientific Review Panel in December 2007. Ultimately, both finalists were deemed to have built excellent programs and both were recommended for funding.
What sorts of therapies are being developed within the AFIRM?
A: The AFIRM was designed to speed the delivery of regenerative medicine therapies to treat our most critically injured Servicemembers from around the world, but in particular those coming from our theaters of operation in Iraq and Afghanistan. There are five major programs: Limb Repair, Craniofacial Repair, Burn Repair, Scarless Wound Repair, and Compartment Syndrome.
Does "Regenerative Medicine" mean that stem cells are used?
A: Adult stem cells are an integral part of normal wound healing and the formation of all new tissues. Many of the strategies being developed by AFIRM seek to improve wound healing and tissue repair by increasing the number or improving the function of adult stem cells. A patient’s own cells, or in some cases, cells from another adult, are used in conjunction with special drugs called bioactive factors, or with advanced biomaterials that serve as scaffolds for growth of new tissues.
What are tissue scaffolds?
A: Tissue scaffolds are the medical implants of the future: small, porous structures made of fully degradable, specially designed biomaterials (materials that are made from the same basic elements as our natural tissues) that support cells at the site of injury and assist the body in growing new, functional tissue. The scaffold will be completely reabsorbed when the damaged or lost tissue has been successfully replaced by new tissue. Scaffolds can be used in regeneration of damaged or missing sections of bones, nerves, ligaments, blood vessels and skin.
Do AFIRM researchers use embryonic stem cells?
A: No. All of the research now funded through the AFIRM use adult-derived progenitor cells taken from the patient or from another consenting adult, or from amniotic fluid, fetal foreskin collected and banked with the consent of the parents.
Can these stem cells regenerate entire arms and legs?
A: No; not at present. However, the use of these cells, bioactive factors and biomaterials can help injured Servicemembers to optimize their own capacity to heal and recover by forming new bone, skin, nerves, tendons, muscles, and blood vessels to replace damaged tissues. AFIRM collaborators plan to use these new strategies to dramatically speed and enhance the outcome of tissue repair, leading to greater opportunity and a more effective return to productive life after injury.
What about transplants? Will AFIRM be paying for whole hand and face transplants?
A: Currently, we cannot re-grow entire limbs and facial components, so supplemental clinical trial funding (outside of the initial grant) has been used to help patients with catastrophic injuries to the face and hands to receive life-restoring transplants. The focus of research in this area, however, is on making use of new strategies to prevent rejection of transplants in all patients (including those receiving organs like kidneys or hearts).
Are there clinical trials for any of these AFIRM therapies planned?
We have several clinical trials underway for both military and civilian patients. For more information, please check the clinical trials page or www.clinicaltrials.gov.
Are companies participating in the AFIRM?
Numerous commercial interests have expressed a willingness to work with the AFIRM as commercialization partners. We are extremely pleased that the American medical device, pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry has taken such a keen interest in speeding these important new therapies to market, not just for injured Servicemembers, but for civilian patients as well. We believe that this participation will ultimately lead to better healthcare options for all Americans.
How can I receive/apply for AFIRM funding?
No further AFIRM funding is awarded directly from the DOD; each AFIRM consortium is responsible for allocating the funds awarded to them. The consortia fund projects already within their portfolios, and, if funding allows, may add promising new projects within the scope of the AFIRM mission.
Investigators wishing to inquire about potential inclusion in the AFIRM can contact the Principle Investigator for the Rutgers Cleveland Clinic Consortium or the Wake Forest Pittsburgh Consortium or submit a new product or idea proposal through http://www.usamraa.army.mil/pages/Baa_Paa/NPI_choice.cfm or submit a research proposal at http://www.usamraa.army.mil/pages/baa_forms/index.cfm.