A team of UTSA biomedical engineering researchers led by Drs. Joo Ong and C. Mauli Agrawal has been awarded a $2 million grant by the U.S. Army’s Medical Research and Materiel Command and the Institute for Surgical Research (ISR). This grant, the largest the UTSA College of Engineering has received to date, will support the development of a multifunctional implant to assist in the regeneration of bone in large defects caused by trauma. Soldiers wounded in combat and civilians alike will benefit from the advancements in bone regeneration technology developed as a result of the grant.

“We are delighted that the Army selected us from among dozens of labs from around the country who had applied to work on this effort,” says Agrawal, Dean of the College of Engineering. “This work is especially important because it will help our soldiers who sacrifice so much for us.” Geographically, UTSA is in an advanced strategic position surrounded by the South Texas Medical Center, several military bases and the world-renowned Brooke Army Medical Center. “UTSA and San Antonio have tremendous expertise in this area of research and I am confident that we will be successful,” adds Agrawal. Collaborators on this research will include the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, Southwest Research Institute, ISR and Carnegie Mellon University.

Source: KENS-TV (Wendy Rigby)