The studies below are funded by the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) on Gulf War Illness (GWIRP).
*********
Source: http://www.baylor.edu/mediacommunications/news.php?action=story&story=124821
Baylor University Scientist Receives Major Grants for Health
Research on 1991 Gulf War Veterans
NOV. 1, 2012
Follow us on Twitter: @BaylorUMediaCom
Media contact: Frank Raczkiewicz, Assistant Vice President for Media
Communications, (254) 710-1964
WACO, Texas (Nov. 1, 2012) -
Baylor University has been awarded two new federal grants for research on Gulf
War illness, the complex medical condition that affects veterans of the 1991
war. The grants, from the Office of Congressionally Directed Medical Research
Programs of the U.S. Department of Defense, total nearly $1.6 million, and
bring current federal funding for Baylor's Gulf War research program to over
$2.3 million.
"These grants will
support our intensive effort to find answers for the many thousands of veterans
still suffering from Gulf War Illness," said Lea Steele, Ph.D., the Baylor
University epidemiologist who directs the program. The funding supports
projects to address multiple aspects of the problem, including studies on the
biological processes causing veterans' symptoms and development of a nationwide
network to advance health research, particularly studies leading to effective
treatments, for Gulf War illness.
Gulf War illness is the term
commonly used for the symptomatic condition that affects military personnel who
served in the 1990-1991 Gulf War. Symptoms typically include some combination
of chronic headache, widespread pain, memory and concentration difficulties,
and digestive and other abnormalities - problems that are not explained by
medical or psychiatric diagnoses or by routine laboratory tests.
Studies indicate at least one
in four of the 700,000 military personnel who served in the 1990-1991 war are
affected, and that few have recovered over time.
"Gulf War illness may no
longer be as high profile as health issues from more recent wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan, but it remains a very serious problem for many thousands of ill
veterans," said Steele, who is research professor in the Baylor Institute
of Biomedical Studies. "This work is especially important here in Central
Texas, which is home to one of the largest concentrations of 1991 Gulf War
veterans in the country."
The federal grants awarded to
Baylor support three separate projects. For the first study, funded in 2011,
Baylor is partnering with Scott & White Healthcare to provide clinical
assessments, including an in-depth look at the brain, the immune system, and
diverse other measures in Gulf War veterans. "This project should give us
a clearer picture of the complex biological processes that drive veterans'
symptoms," Steele said. "This is an essential step for improving the
care provided for ill veterans."
The second project will focus
on developing a blood test to improve the diagnosis of Gulf War illness.
According to Steele, "Gulf War illness is currently defined only on the
basis of veterans' symptoms. An objective test to assist in diagnosing this
condition would be immensely beneficial to veterans and their healthcare
providers, and can also provide an important tool to better understand and
treat this condition."
The third project includes a
national study to determine the current health status of veterans across the
U.S. who served in the 1991 Gulf War. It will also establish an information and
research network for veterans to receive periodic updates on health issues, and
connect veterans with scientists who are conducting health studies of 1991 Gulf
War veterans.
Steele has conducted research
on the health of Gulf War veterans since 1998. Before joining the Baylor
Institute of Biomedical Studies in 2010, she served as scientific director for
the federal Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses.
"After years of false
starts," she said, "research has now provided progress in our
understanding of Gulf War illness." She emphasized, however, that despite
this progress, many veterans remain ill, since doctors still lack effective
methods for diagnosing and treating Gulf War illness. She added that "We
believe these answers can be found, and are especially pleased to be partnering
with Scott & White to address this problem, given its importance for
veterans in Central Texas."
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a
private Christian university and a nationally ranked research institution,
characterized as having "high research activity" by the Carnegie
Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The university provides a vibrant
campus community for approximately 15,000 students by blending
interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational
excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in
1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor
is the oldest continually operating university in Texas. Located in Waco,
Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study
a broad range of degrees among its 11 nationally recognized academic divisions.
Baylor sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and is a founding member of the Big
12 Conference.
No comments:
Post a Comment