Consortium to Help Wounded Warriors

Cleveland Clinic and Rutgers University were named to lead one of two civilian research consortia to develop innovative medical therapies for the treatment of wounded service members. Cleveland Clinic will receive more than $10 million from a total of $42.5 million awarded over five years as a leader in the new Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine (AFIRM). George Muschler, MD, vice chair of the Orthopaedic & Rheumatology Institute, is co-director of the consortium, which includes leading clinician scientists drawn from 15 premier institutions and more than 20 commercial partners nationwide. AFIRM will accelerate the development of new technologies in the field of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering that have the potential to transform care for severely injured service members.

AFIRM’s initial focus is on the regeneration of bone, muscle, tendon, nerve and blood vessels, as well as new methods for transplantation of limb and facial tissue, the treatment of burns and reduction of scarring.

Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic lead seven therapeutic projects in the new armed forces consortium. In addition to Dr. Muschler, projects are being led by Kathleen Derwin, PhD, of the Lerner Research Institute, Timur Sarac, MD, of the Heart & Vascular Institute, and Maria Siemionow, MD, PhD, of the Dermatology & Plastic 
Surgery Institute.