Spectral MD Inc. located in Dallas recently received a contract for $2.4 million from the Biomedical Advanced Research & Development Authority (BARDA) within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at HHS. The funding is to be used to further develop Spectral MD’s DeepView imaging system to aid patients burned in disasters.
For example, the detonation of a nuclear bomb or improvised nuclear device can produce intense heat potentially resulting in severe burns that can cover large portions of a person’s body. These thermal burns typically require specialized treatment including surgery for skin grafts.
Today, experienced surgeons visually inspect burned wounds to find where dead skin stops and live skin tissue begins. The DeepView imaging system is able to assist surgeons when scanning large portions of a patient’s body to distinguish between dead and live skin.
Finding the precise points at which dead skin ends and live skin tissue begins can help surgeons reduce the amount of grafting products needed in mass casualty situations and can improve surgical outcomes for patients, save lives, and shorten hospital stays.
Many of the products that BARDA develops may find uses outside of emergency medicine especially in the case of severe thermal burns. With multiple uses, the market for these emergency products can be sustained because the products can also be used in other day-to-day medical situations.
The Spectral MD 15 month contract has the possibility of being extended for a total of up to five years and funded up to $13.1 million. If the contract is extended, the company would then conduct clinical trials to demonstrate safety and efficiency. Also, the device may have commercial applications for other deep tissue injuries such for treating diabetic skin ulcers.