Principal Investigator: Ji Hyun Kim, PhDOrganization: Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine Pelvic and urogenital injuries account for 86% of urologic injuries in US armed conflicts, impacting the medical and combat readiness of wounded soldiers. Current surgical repair attempts often fail in restoring normal pelvic muscle anatomy. While autologous cell-based treatment shows promise in improving […]
Author: afirm4
Rapid Recovery of Rotator Ruff Muscle Function using Decellularized Muscle Fiber Fragments as an off-the-shelf Injection Therapy
Principal Investigator: James J. Yoo, MD, PhD Organization: Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine Rotator cuff injuries or tears have a significant impact on both civilian and military populations, affecting approximately 17 million individuals in the United States alone. Military personnel experience even higher rates of these injuries, 20 times more than the general population. […]
Reprogramming Subject Skin to Palmo-Plantar Skin at the Distal Limb to Enhance Prosthetic use in Wounded Warriors
Principal Investigator: Luis Garza, MD, PhDPerforming Organization: Johns Hopkins University Background: Stem cell therapy holds great promise in medicine. This grant will employ one’s own stem cells in an attempt to help the more than 1.7 million (1 out of every 200) people in the US who have had limb amputations—including military (see below). While […]
Proof of Concept Clinical Trial of Burns: Inhibiting Scar Formation and Promoting Skin Regeneration using a Topical Focal Adhesion Kinase Inhibitor (FAKI)
Burn injuries are among the most devastating of all injuries and a major global public health burden. Severe (full- and deep partial-thickness) burns are a significant challenge among military service members, often leading to debilitating hypertrophic scar (HTS) formation and scar contractures that severely compromise normal function. The current standard-of-care for severe burn wounds is the spit thickness skin grafts (STSG), which provides wound coverage. However, skin grafts often still result in scar contractures and other disadvantages including fragility, abnormal pigmentation, rough texture.
Modular Lego-Like Scaffolds for In-theater Craniofacial Regeneration
Recent advancements in 3D printing have revolutionized the field of tissue engineering, particularly in the creation of tailored scaffolds for tissue regeneration. However, widespread adoption of this technology in medical settings, especially in combat zones, remains impractical due to logistical challenges.
AFIRM Project Announcement
The Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, part of Wake Forest University School of Medicine, has been selected to lead the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine (AFIRM) Consortium. The project – a $40 million, five year-long award from the Defense Health Agency (DHA) – will focus on taking regenerative medicine solutions for battlefield injuries to the next level, and ultimately to the general public.