HJF supports research into the treatment of volumetric muscle loss | Your money

BETHESDA, Md.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–January 20, 2022–

The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for Advancing Military Medicine, Inc. (HJF) has received nearly $2 million to support a study to evaluate a treatment for volumetric muscle wasting (VML), a condition American military surgeons define it as the irretrievable loss of muscle tissue. VML is frequently found in service members with traumatic limb injuries.

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The study, titled “Evaluation of a Novel Dual Anti-fibrotic and Pro-regenerative Strategy to Facilitate Improved Functional Outcomes in the Treatment of Volumetric Muscle Loss”, is led by Dr. Christopher Dearth, Chief of Research and Monitoring ( R&S) Division within the DoD-VA Extremity Trauma & Amputation Center of Excellence (EACE), and Dr. Stephen Goldman, Principal Scientist of the EACE R&S team embedded in the Department of Surgery at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences ( USU).

VML is a determining factor in amputation decisions and one of the main contributors to long-term disability. The condition is thought to cause a prolonged inflammatory response that leads to fibrosis or the development of scar tissue. This scar tissue is thought to prevent the regrowth and repair of skeletal muscle.

“Humans, especially in adulthood, don’t have much regenerative capacity. On the contrary, a characteristic response of the body to a traumatic injury is to try to repair the damaged tissue as soon as possible to try to alleviate the bad things that are happening – for example, creating a fibrotic and scarring response”, said Dr. Dearth. “Skeletal muscle is one of the most regenerative tissues in the body, but VML injuries exceed this regenerative capacity, and the result is massive scar tissue formation.”

Drs. Dearth and Goldman have worked on VML for years and are among the most published researchers on the subject. Their passion for delivering improved results to our nation’s fighters inspired them to begin this new study.

“Can we alter the default healing response to cause less long-term functional impairment by giving an intervention that we believe will provide a pro-regenerative outcome?” asked Dr. Dearth. “There are therapies that treat fibrotic conditions in other tissues and injuries. This study will begin to assess whether any of these treatments also improve VML outcomes.

Dr. Dearth’s research team will examine the ability of existing treatments, which have shown promise in treating lung, skin and liver fibrosis. The hope is to find one that could then be used to provide a short term fix for VML. According to Dr Dearth, one of the questions is: “Can we reuse something that already exists rather than trying to create something from scratch in order to release it to patients sooner?”

“HJF has a long history of supporting medical research that benefits warfighters, especially when it comes to translation work to bridge the gap between research and product,” said the President and CEO. of HJF, Dr. Joseph Caravalho. “HJF supports work from the lab to the bedside of the battlefield, and we are proud to partner with Dr. Dearth and his team in their search for a cure for VML.”

This work was supported by the Congressional Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) in the amount of $1,998,062 through the Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP) under award number W81XWH2120014. The U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, 820 Chandler Street, Fort Detrick MD 21702-5014 is the acquisition administration and award office.

The opinions, interpretations, conclusions and recommendations are those of HJF and the persons cited and are not necessarily endorsed by the Department of Defense.

About HJF

The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for Advancing Military Medicine, Inc. (HJF) is a global nonprofit organization that manages more than $500 million in medical research funds each year. For nearly 40 years, HJF has partnered with researchers and clinicians to provide research support from the bench to the bedside on the battlefield. More than 3,000 HJF teammates ensure HJF is a trusted, responsive partner in providing scientific, administrative, and program operations services to researchers in the military, academic, and private sectors. For more information, visit hjf.org.

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CONTACT: Media:

Gary Pettit

Director of Public Relations, HJF

[email protected]

KEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA MARYLAND

KEYWORD INDUSTRY: DEFENSE HEALTH GENERAL HEALTH RESEARCH SCIENCE OTHERS DEFENSE BIOTECHNOLOGY

SOURCE: Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc.

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PUBLISHED: 01/20/2022 15:29 / DISK: 01/20/2022 15:29

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