Known as the (D-BOP RIG), this is a great reference created with data collected by the USUHS CONQUER program. Note: PANTHER did not contribute to the generation of this guide D-BOP RIG Specifies recommended stand-off distances for those (1) involved in training (e.g., instructors, range safety officers) and (2) involved in operations of the weapon …
In 2023 Dr. Ann McKee gave a talk at Viterbo University in Wisconsin. The Inconvenient Truth about CTE If you are a mild-TBI researcher and you’re asked “what do you do” at family gatherings, this is could be a good video to share – it includes lots of technical detail but it is presented in …
PANTHER 8 has been funded by ONR. The focus of all the projects in this group is Directed Energy – Traumatic Brain Injury. Our goals is to define the connection between pulsed microwave exposure and injury to define biophysical safety limits for future work. This work will be foundational for several areas including clinical diagnosis …
The following article by Dave Philipps of the New York Times shows tragic deterioration in the lives of the Navy’s Special Boat Teams after their bodies and brains are slammed over waves at high speeds. Chronic Brain Trauma Is Extensive in Navy’s Elite Speedboat Crews The pounding that sailors’ brains take from years of high-speed …
CARES Lab at Iowa State University Coordinator: Dr. Sarah A. Bentil Advanced Blast Simulator (ABS) Commissioned at Iowa State University’s CARES Lab On May 23, 2024, commissioning shots were performed on the newly fabricated advanced blast simulator (ABS) at the CARES Lab, which is directed by Dr. Sarah A. Bentil at Iowa State University. “CARES” …
PANTHER researchers presented 5 posters and gave 1 talk at the 2024 Military Health System Research Symposium
This article highlights the work of Brown University Profs Diane Hoffman-Kim and Haneesh Kesari – a fruitful PANTHER collaboration. Under pressure: mini-brains get a surprising shake-up
The PANTHER team gathered in Madison, WI in September for the annual workshop We enjoyed warm weather as we ate lunch outside on the terrace at the Memorial Union The workshop featured two poster sessions to showcase PANTHER research
Wisconsin researchers weigh in on concussion prevention innovations in sports Wisconsin Public Radio’s Wisconsin Today interviewed PANTHER’s Theva regarding concussion in contact sport and the new foam materials his lab develops to prevent brain injuries. 1: The audio: Wisconsin researchers on concussion prevention: https://www.wpr.org/shows/wisconsin-today-2/milwaukee-police-chief-guardian-caps-manitowoc-church-organ-restored 2. The text: Wisconsin researchers weigh in on concussion prevention innovations …
Congratulations! First place – Rafael D. González-Cruz Second Place – Carissa Roper Third Place – Kevin Eckstein
Revolutionary blood test identifies patients with brain injuries The blood test looks for GFAP and UCH-L1 PANTHER was not involved with any part of this product’s development
The Andrews’ Lab had the opportunity to test their newly designed pressure sensors within Sarah Bentil’s shock tube at Iowa State University. Their group is investigating wearable sensing systems that can transduce blast overpressure using both capacitive and triboelectric techniques. They are excited to share their findings soon!
A new collaborative study was recently published in the the Journal of Applied Polymer Science to show how factors that affect the viscoelastic fatigue response of flexible polymeric foams. Citation: Foster, Moira M., Morrison, Daniel C., Landauer, Alexander K., Herynk, Mark D., and Lamberson, Leslie E. Assessment of frequency and amplitude dependence on the cyclic degradation …
Science published an article outlining some possible connections between human blast-brain injuries and the theories of what may cause mass strandings of marine mammals. Title: A big bang theory of big brain trauma by Dr. Terrie M Williams
On July 23, 2024 the OFFICE OF THE UNDER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE released its Report on Incidence of Military Suicides by Military Job Code With the aim of providing data and comparisons on suicides across military occupations. Link to NYTimes articleJournalist Dave Philipps reports: The report shows a correlation between occupational exposure to blast and …
Congratulations to Benjamin Grossman-Ponemon, PhD who recently joined the faculty of the Physics department at John Carroll University in Cleveland, OH. Ben was a postdoc in Prof. Haneesh Kesari’s group at Brown University and for PANTHER, worked on a model to simulate motion of the whole body.
A game-changing solution to a knotty problem in computational engineering
An expert panel recently voted NOT to endorse the use of MDMA for the treatment of PTSD. Much of the news coverage surrounding this decision was centered on MDMA’s classification as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act. This should not overshadow the motivation for assessing MDMA and other psychoactive compounds for PTSD …
The University of Wisconsin College of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering has posted an interview with PANTHER founder Prof. Christian Franck. In this interview, Franck discusses how blasts damage brain tissue, describes efforts to monitor and protect military service members, and explains the delay that can happen between a traumatic brain injury and when symptoms …
Alex McGhee, PhD has joined the faculty at the University of Arizona in the College of Engineering, Biomedical Engineering Congratulations! https://bme.engineering.arizona.edu/news-events/bme-seminar-alexandar-mcghee https://bme.engineering.arizona.edu/faculty-staff/faculty/alexander-mcghee
NYT Journalist David Philipps has a new article published 5/2/24: Signs of Brain Injury in Mortar Soldiers: ‘Guys Are Getting Destroyed’ A slow-motion video provided by Sgt. Michael Devaul shows the training in 2021 that left him so dazed that he drove home to the wrong house.
At Team Wendy facilities in Ohio, the PANTHER team conducted testing of newly designed flexible hybrid electronic headbands consisting of multiple distributed accelerometers. The headband was tested using a novel Hybrid-III torso drop test method we’ve taken to calling “DREW” (Dummy for Rotational Evaluation of Wearables). The multiple accelerometers allow for compatibility with PANTHER developed …
In 2021, Prof. Diane Hoffman-Kim’s research group at Brown University was awarded a DURIP to purchase a Nikon Confocal Microscope for imaging cortical spheroids. Neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptotic and necrotic cell death are some of the biological responses that occurs in the minutes to days after the initial injury from TBI. The details about …
The recent JAMA article Neurological Illness and National Security: Lessons to Be Learned by David Relman, MD (citations below) gives a perspective on the anomalous health incidents (AHIs) that resonates with PANTHER’s approach to TBI research. AHI’s have been in the news again in the wake of a JAMA article by Chan et. al that …
Team Wendy’s new test rig utilizes the instrumented Hybrid III 50th Male dummy to replicate realistic and biofidelic impact kinematics. The test rig can simulate head-to-ground impacts, incorporating head rotational motion induced by whiplash, to evaluate helmet performance. The test rig is capable of assessing linear and rotational motion properties and conducting tests at various …
PANTHER research aims to understand the connection between blast exposure and biophysical changes in the brain. This is the groundwork needed for preventing injury. Full article by Dave Philipps of the New York Times Evidence of blast exposure Evidence of physical damage in the brain
We are delighted to announce that PANTHER 6 has been funded for $10M to research directed energy, blast and blunt traumatic brain injury prediction and prevention. This award adds 4 new PIs to the PANTHER team – Congratulations! At the University of Wisconsin:
Two engineers explain the physics of invisible cell death https://theconversation.com/low-level-blasts-from-heavy-weapons-can-cause-traumatic-brain-injury-2-engineers-explain-the-physics-of-invisible-cell-death-220267
PANTHER aims to quantitatively and deterministically link the physics of a head insult to the resulting biological injury response. Read the full article here
Congratulations! Read the press release here Within PANTHER, Prof. Henak is conducting experiments to understand the properties of the interfaces between the skull and the brain.
We are delighted to announce that PANTHER 7 has been funded for $5M to research helmet innovations that could lead to preventing mTBI in warfighters from ballistic impacts. This award is spearheaded by industry partner Team Wendy, now part of Avon Protection.