DARPA awarded Battelle, NxStage Medical and Aethlon Medical a contract to develop a device to treat sepsis, which can arise from as much as 10 percent of combat wounds, for military use, according to a Battelle press release.
The contract, which could lead to $22.8 million dollars and four years worth of work for the three company team, is to “develop a portable device that creates a holistic treatment for sepsis” as a part of DARPA’s Dialysis-Like Therapeutics (DLT) program. Like dialysis for the kidneys, the device should remove blood from the body, rid it of the bad blood and then return the clean blood.
The device could play a role in civilian treatment as well. “When sepsis is complicated by shock, approximately half of patients do not survive for 30 days, even if effective antibiotics are used,” the release says.
When Investment Rhymes with Canada
Canada has a proud history of achievement in the areas of science and technology, and the field of biomanufacturing and life sciences is no exception.
According to the DARPA DLT website: “The integration and validation of these component technologies will focus on developing an innovative path to FDA investigational device exemption (IDE) before the completion of the program. From there, the device would be available for transition to military medical commands and clinical trials required for final regulatory approval.”
The funding seemingly includes everything but money for human clinical trials. The three companies are charged with designing, developing, testing and validating such a device.
Aethlon has previously received a $6.8 million DARPA DLT contract.
