Studies into blast injuries at Imperial College London
The Royal British Legion Centre for Blast Injury Studies at
Imperial College London is the first collaboration of its kind in
the UK, where civilian engineers and scientists will work alongside
military doctors, supported by charitable funding, to reduce the
effects of roadside bombs or Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) -
the leading cause of death and injury for Service personnel on
operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The goals of the new Centre are to increase understanding about
blast injury patterns, improve treatments and recovery and develop
better ways of protecting those serving in current and future
conflicts - thus reducing the long-term impacts of such injuries on
individuals, their families and the community.
The
Royal British Legion is providing £5 million to establish the
Centre. Imperial College London will lead on the scientific
research, which builds on the work already carried out by the
Imperial Blast research group at the College.
The Legion will also participate in the strategic direction of
the Centre. The Centre's work will complement the Legion's
existing range of support for wounded, injured and sick serving men
and women of current conflicts, as well as for ex-serving personnel
and their families.
Professor Anthony Bull, from the Department of Bioengineering at
Imperial College London and Director of the new Centre, said:
"Previously, Servicemen and women who were wounded from blasts
would have died from their injuries, and now military protection,
medical science and practice has improved greatly so that there is
a greater prospect of survival. We now need to assess the effects
of blasts on these survivors. We urgently need to know more, so
that we can protect and treat people more effectively. This Centre
can make a real difference to the survival and quality of life of
those serving in conflicts."
The researchers at the Centre will experiment with different
materials to protect people better and new methods to deflect blast
impact and change the pattern and severity of injuries. For
example, researchers aim to work on an intelligent combat boot that
is insulated with putty to absorb and then deflect the impact of an
anti-vehicle mine blast. The boot will be designed by researchers
to transfer the blast energy away from the hind foot, which if
damaged can often lead to amputation, towards the shin bone which
can be more easily reconstructed. It is expected that a prototype
boot will be ready in late 2012.
Understanding how blasts affect the body internally in more
detail could lead to new therapies and better outcomes for
patients.
For more information visit the
Legion's news page.
