CytoSorbents awarded U.S. Army SBIR trauma grant

CytoSorbents (OTCBB:CTSO) was awarded a Phase 1 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command valued at $100,000 over six months, with the potential option for an additional $50,000.

The recently finalized contract will allow CytoSorbents to plan and optimize its technological approach for a planned Phase 2 SBIR submission in 2012, valued at up to $1 million. The Phase 1 grant, titled, “Investigation of CytoSorb Cytokine and Myoglobin Removal in the Treatment of Trauma,” is a pre-requisite for both Phase 2 and Phase 3 SBIR awards, which involve animal and human studies, respectively.

“We are very excited that the U.S. Army has selected to fund our Phase 1 program in trauma,” CEO Dr. Phillip Chan said in a statement.

Trauma is the number one cause of combat-related deaths in the military and is a leading cause of civilian mortality. Uncontrolled hemorrhage and head injury are typically responsible for early death in combat trauma, while multiple organ failure accounts for the majority of late deaths.

“If we can reduce the incidence of organ failure in trauma patients using our blood purification technology to remove inflammatory mediators such as cytokines and myoglobin, we hope to improve clinical outcomes in trauma patients, not just in the military, but in hospitals worldwide,” Dr. Chan added.