Current Project Information
Client Information: Our client is UN&UP (https://www.unandup.com/) with our main point of contact being Michael Sabo (mes@unandup.com).
Need Statement: A way to optimize the timeliness of physician intervention and localized drug delivery in frostbite patients to improve patient outcomes and increase limb retention and function.
Project Scope: There is a need for a method for faster and more localized drug delivery and treatment of frostbite. Timelier and targeted therapeutic intervention will improve patient outcomes and increase limb retention and function. The therapeutic device will be accessible to all extremities impacted by frostbite, and the therapeutic agent will reach affected areas within 1 minute of device activation. We will deliver a programmable control system for a magnet (therapeutic device) and a realistic phantom reflecting the dynamics of extremity vasculature for testing the validity of the device to our client by April 25, 2025.
Recent Activities
We have reached out to four physicians or researchers who specialize in the treatment of frostbite or are active in the research of frostbite treatment:
Rachel M Ngyaard, PhD – Key Researcher Department of Surgery, Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute
Colin Grissom, MD – Co-Medical Director of the Shock Trauma Intensive Care Unit, University of Utah (Secondary research interests include high altitude illness, avalanche victim physiology, and hypothermia)
Frederick Endorf, MD – Associate Professor of Surgery-GI, Trauma, and Endocrine Surgery, Colorado School of Medicine (Clinical Interests: Burns, Frostbite, Necrotizing Soft-Tissue Infections, Hidradenitis Suppurativa, Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis, Complex Wounds)
Jennifer Dow MD – Medical Director for the National Park Service – Alaska Region; Guardian Flight Alaska, Alyeska Ski Patrol, and The Alyeska Pipeline and Emergency Medicine Physician at Alaska Regional Hospital in Anchorage
Future Steps
We received a response from Jennifer Dow and are working to establish a meeting with her in October (she is currently out of the office until early October). Dr. Dow also provided us with another possible expert, Scott McIntosh who specializes in Frostbite at the University of Utah.
We have also begun to reach out to experts who could help in a second aspect of our project which will be creating a phantom to see whether or not our device increases therapeutic timeliness. UN&UP has previously worked with Edwin Carlen at WashU (Mechanical Engineering Department) and provided us with his information.
Questions/Things to Look Into
What sort of magnet safety parameters should we specify for our device? Specifically, what magnet strengths should be limited/expected both inside and outside of the device?
What sorts of phantoms are physicians currently using, and what factors go into overall usability while retaining clinical validity?