TIAX Awarded Contracts Totaling $2 Million By Department Of Defense.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Funding will continue development of novel medical devices and technologies to help soldiers in the field

TIAX, a leading collaborative product and technology development firm, announced today that it has been awarded three Phase II contracts by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The contracts, totaling more than $2 million, will enable TIAX to continue its efforts in the development of three new technologies to assist soldiers in the battlefield; an intraosseous infusion device, a medical blood pack, and a wearable stress detection system.

"We are honored to continue our partnership with the Department of Defense and delighted that our work on these projects will contribute to the safety and wellbeing of our armed forces," said Kenan Sahin, President of TIAX. "In addition to the role these technologies could play in helping our military, they may one day be used by first responders, emergency personnel, and critical staff to benefit the larger civilian population."

The projects include:

--Reusable Intraosseous Infusion Device - Intraosseous infusion (an infusion directly in the marrow cavity of the human bone) is a rapid, reliable method of infusing critical resuscitation fluids into the vascular system when traditional IV cannot be administered. Under this $730,000 contract, TIAX will produce a prototype of a compact, portable device that enables quick vascular access through the sternum for soldiers wounded in battle situations. TIAX's design includes carriage of multiple needles so the system can be used several times and a driver/depth control system that simplifies usage in combat situations. The device may eventually be commercialized for use by emergency medical personnel in hospital trauma units.

--Medic Blood Pack - Under this approximately $655,000 contract, TIAX will finalize the design and develop a production-ready prototype for a lightweight mobile storage container that can transport blood to the front lines. Currently, military casualties are sometimes forced to wait as long as 12 hours before evacuation from the battle field to a medical treatment facility where they can receive blood transfusions. The ability to transfuse red blood cells in the field would dramatically increase the wounded soldier's chance of survival. The TIAX concept integrates a highly insulating design with phase-change materials. The phase change materials preferentially absorb the heat that leaks into the container before it can have any affect on the temperature of the blood being stored. This approach allows for multiple packs of red blood cells to be transported to the front lines by medics and maintained at the required temperature of 1(degrees)C to 10(degrees)C for over 48 hours.

--SENSORS (System for Evaluating Neurological Stress with Objective & Remote Sensors) - In Phase II of this project, valued at approximately $730,000, TIAX will design a prototype system to detect the workload, cognitive state, and stress levels endured by soldiers in combat environments. The current TIAX SENSORS system concept takes the form of a flexible under-helmet skullcap that uses biomedical sensors to monitor multiple physiological parameters including muscle tension, brain waves, eye movements, perspiration, and cardiac/respiratory function. On-body hardware and custom signal-processing algorithms created for this project will combine and broadcast data for remote evaluation of the cognitive state, predictability of performance, and decision-making skills of a soldier in battle. The SENSORS system also has a range of potential non-military applications such as emergency medical services, public safety, commercial aviation, long-haul trucking, and lie detection.

Since 2002, TIAX has been awarded 15 Phase I contracts and 8 Phase II contracts through the SBIR program. The SBIR program was established in 1982 to provide increased opportunities for small businesses to meet federal research and development needs, increase employment, foster and encourage participation in technological innovation by socially and economically disadvantaged persons, and increase private-sector commercialization of innovations derived from federal research and development.

About TIAX LLC 

TIAX LLC (pronounced Ty-ax) is a leading collaborative product and technology development firm that accelerates innovation to help its clients create an impact in the market--and in people's lives. It integrates business, industry, and hands-on technology expertise to transform ideas into products and problems into solutions. Formed out of Arthur D. Little's Technology & Innovation business, TIAX (www.tiaxllc.com) builds on more than a century of breakthrough innovation and client success using collaborative R&D. TIAX was selected as a Technology Pioneer 2003 by the World Economic Forum and is ISO 9001 certified with more than 50 research and development laboratories.