$1M Army grant for traumatic brain injury drug research

The roads in New Haven, Connecticut, have their fair share of vehicular accidents, many of which stem from negligence. Due to the severity of some of these accidents, some victims have sustained traumatic brain injuries. For people who might not know, traumatic brain injury is a very serious illness. As the brain is a very important organ, this medical condition is often associated with coma, paralysis and permanent disabilities that may drastically reduce the quality of a person’s life.

Fortunately, many health advocates are pushing some initiatives aimed at helping brain injury victims. Among them is a prominent university that was awarded a $1 million grant by the U.S. Army to develop a medication that reduces the damage from TBI. Researchers have discovered that low doses of methamphetamine infused in laboratory rodents within 12 hours following a TBI considerably cut down on impairment and brain damage.

The grant will allow development studies of the medication to prepare for Phase I and II human trials. According to the lead researcher, the military is interested in a medication that can be administered to soldiers who have sustained TBI from explosion-caused, blast-force energy waves from previous wars.

The aim of the research is to develop a drug for war veterans who sustain TBI. However, readers from New Haven, Connecticut, should also take into account that a breakthrough from this study may greatly benefit all TBI patients. The only issue is that it is still in the preliminary stages and does not apply to humans yet. Once this drug is introduced for humans, people can anticipate that it will be costly since the research behind it was expensive.

As a result, this potential TBI medicine may not be accessible to all TBI victims in New Haven, Connecticut. To be able to afford such medications in the future, people who sustain TBI as a result of an accident should seek compensation for the injuries they sustained. This can be possible if the person files a lawsuit against the negligent party. As it can be a complicated task, it might be a wise decision for the accident victim to seek the assistance of a legal professional.

Source: News-medical.net, “Montana researcher receives $1M army grant to develop drug that limits damage caused by TBI,” August 21, 2013