Ballistic
09-28-2004, 05:35 AM
Hibernation for injured soldiers
Ian Gerard
September 28, 2004
THE Pentagon is excited about research at a Queensland university showing that soldiers injured on the battlefield can be put into hibernation until specialist medical treatment becomes available.
James Cook University associate professor of physiology and pharmacology Geoffrey Dobson said he had developed a drug that could be used to save soldiers' lives and prevent civilian deaths during major terrorist attacks by shutting down their bodies.
Having borrowed the idea from hibernating animals, Dr Dobson said the drug protected the heart and other organs during times of stress by stabilising cell functions.
It is estimated that 90 per cent of soldier deaths occur because of shock before they can get proper treatment.
If clinical trials prove successful, soldiers suffering major trauma in the battlefield could soon be given an injection to effectively shut down their bodies, putting them into suspended animation, until they are taken to hospital.
The US Defence Department requested that Dr Dobson submit a grant application for development of the drug in June and is now considering awarding him $7.6 million for further research.
"With blood loss and shock in terrorist situations or on the frontline with war injuries, there is a very fine line between shock and tipping into total organ failure and death," Dr Dobson said.
"You really want to buy time so you can take that soldier back to general care. One of the ways to buy time is to put them into a hibernated state."
Humans are put into hibernation by chemically clamping the heart's cell voltage around its resting level, lowering metabolism.
The technique is modelled on a number of native animals, including various Australian desert frogs that can hibernate for up to six years while they wait for creeks to fill with water.
"We are tapping into billions of years of evolution and nature's own laboratory by studying animals and their adaptations to situations," he said.
"Reducing metabolism of an organ or body to 'pilot-light' level effectively extends physiological time until the surgeon reanimates the heart or an injured civilian or a soldier can reach a more suitable clinical setting."
Dr Dobson said the drug could also be used to protect the heart during open-heart surgery, organ transplantation or after a major heart attack.
While he was still looking for investors through his company, Global Cardiac Solutions, he had been told the Pentagon would make a decision this week.
Wow. This is the stuff of Science Fiction, amazing science here.
Ian Gerard
September 28, 2004
THE Pentagon is excited about research at a Queensland university showing that soldiers injured on the battlefield can be put into hibernation until specialist medical treatment becomes available.
James Cook University associate professor of physiology and pharmacology Geoffrey Dobson said he had developed a drug that could be used to save soldiers' lives and prevent civilian deaths during major terrorist attacks by shutting down their bodies.
Having borrowed the idea from hibernating animals, Dr Dobson said the drug protected the heart and other organs during times of stress by stabilising cell functions.
It is estimated that 90 per cent of soldier deaths occur because of shock before they can get proper treatment.
If clinical trials prove successful, soldiers suffering major trauma in the battlefield could soon be given an injection to effectively shut down their bodies, putting them into suspended animation, until they are taken to hospital.
The US Defence Department requested that Dr Dobson submit a grant application for development of the drug in June and is now considering awarding him $7.6 million for further research.
"With blood loss and shock in terrorist situations or on the frontline with war injuries, there is a very fine line between shock and tipping into total organ failure and death," Dr Dobson said.
"You really want to buy time so you can take that soldier back to general care. One of the ways to buy time is to put them into a hibernated state."
Humans are put into hibernation by chemically clamping the heart's cell voltage around its resting level, lowering metabolism.
The technique is modelled on a number of native animals, including various Australian desert frogs that can hibernate for up to six years while they wait for creeks to fill with water.
"We are tapping into billions of years of evolution and nature's own laboratory by studying animals and their adaptations to situations," he said.
"Reducing metabolism of an organ or body to 'pilot-light' level effectively extends physiological time until the surgeon reanimates the heart or an injured civilian or a soldier can reach a more suitable clinical setting."
Dr Dobson said the drug could also be used to protect the heart during open-heart surgery, organ transplantation or after a major heart attack.
While he was still looking for investors through his company, Global Cardiac Solutions, he had been told the Pentagon would make a decision this week.
Wow. This is the stuff of Science Fiction, amazing science here.