UVA looks into blast-related brain injuries with multimillion-dollar Defense grant
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - A $5.3 million grant from the Department of Defense is supporting UVA research, building on almost 20 years of understanding of blast-related brain injuries.
“We have learned some really important things over the years that are, have brought us to the point where we have a solid foundation for innovating in a way that makes a real difference for the war-fighter,” said Dr. James Stone, a UVA researcher and radiologist.
Stone and his team are working to understand how different blasts affect the brain over time, how to keep military service members away from harm and how to treat their existing injuries.
“There is an enormous number of service members out there who have been exposed to blast - they do not feel like the person that they were before they entered the military,” Stone said. “For them to have an explanation for why it is that they’re feeling the way that they’re feeling, that would be an enormous contribution to this community.”
Stone says the grant will fund two human studies at UVA and two studies at the Naval Medical Research Command.
“We are very optimistic that the work that’s being done right now is going to make a real difference for these affected populations,” Stone said.
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