DoD gifts IUPUI $11.7M for brain trauma research
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IUPUI School of Science researchers will receive $11.7 million from the U.S. Department of Defense to study potential drug treatments for a traumatic brain injury-related condition that causes cerebrospinal fluid to amass in the brain.
The condition, called hydrocephalus, only has one viable treatment, which is surgery to place a shunt to drain fluid, and must be repeated every two years for some patients. About one in 1,000 births, as well as 1 in 2 adults with head injury, are estimated to be affected, according to IU.
The treatment of hydrocephalus is estimated to cost patients $1 billion annually.
“The addition of a center for hydrocephalus research is an incredible way to inspire passion and scientific collaboration not only among students and faculty researchers in Indianapolis, but also on a national and global level,” School of Science Dean John DiTusa said in a news release.
The DoD has taken an interest in the condition to benefit active duty personnel and veterans with more advanced treatment. The award includes two grants, $7.8 and $3.9 million, that will go to studying the effectiveness of treatments for three types of hydrocephalus – genetic, post-hemorrhage and post-traumatic – as well as test an oral drug candidate that could relieve pressure on the brain.
The Hydrocephalus Research Center at the School of Science at IUPUI will be created to support these projects. IUPUI Biology professors Bonnie Blazer-Yost, who has previously led a lab studying hydrocephalus, and Teri Belecky-Adams, will also work with researchers from Johns Hopkins University and Purdue University on the project.
“While most people are familiar with hydrocephalus in children, the prevalence is higher in adults because of things like traumatic brain injury and stroke,” Blazer-Yost said in the release. “The impact of this research will move us further in understanding the process of hydrocephalic development and hopefully also move us closer to finding a drug to treat hydrocephalus.”