news / press releases

For more information, contact:
Donald Landy
VP Operations and Government Affairs

(636) 349-0050
dlandy@crosslinkusa.com

Crosslink Awarded $5.25 Million Military Contract to Develop
an Innovative Controlled Drug Release Delivery System

The contract funds a program titled “System for the Controlled Drug Release of Therapeutic Agents for the Care of Trauma-Induced Wounds and Burns.”

 

ST. LOUIS —(August 10, 2010) - Crosslink, a leader in electroactive polymer materials, has been awarded a $5.25 million, two-year contract by U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC) and its laboratory at the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC) as identified through U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, located at Fort Detrick, Md., under Contract Number W81XWH-10-2-0051. The contract funds a program titled “System for the Controlled Drug Release of Therapeutic Agents for the Care of Trauma-Induced Wounds and Burns.”


Through this program, Crosslink and its partners at the Center for Biomedical and Life Sciences at Missouri State University, Springfield, Mo., plan to develop a prototype controlled drug release (CDR) delivery system which holds the potential to transform conventional methods of CDR utilizing biocompatible electroactive polymers (EAPs). The impetus of the program is to fill an unmet need for improved pain and infection control therapeutics for wounds resulting from battle-related injuries.


The pervasive use of improvised explosive devices in modern warfare has led to an increase in limb loss and severe burns, and indicates that pain management and infection control for these types of injuries are long-term issues that need to be addressed. For example, in patients with serious burns, one-third of all fatalities are associated with a fungal infection that spreads from the wound to the blood stream, and 50 percent of fatalities in burn victims are associated with a Pseudomonas infection that spreads from the wound to the blood stream. Crosslink’s program proposes that if an antifungal agent along with a Gram-negative antibiotic for Pseudomonas could be loaded into one system and released simultaneously at a controlled rate, these secondary infections could be minimized or eliminated, thereby increasing the survival rate among burn patients.


This technology offers multiple benefits not only to military personnel, but also to civilians and healthcare providers. Among these benefits are:


While initial development of the EAP-based CDR technology will focus on the delivery of simple therapeutic agents with well-known effects, this technology also provides a basic platform that is potentially expandable to a wide variety of drugs and therapies, even beyond those contemplated for initial development.


“This program continues Crosslink’s commitment to providing cutting-edge technology directed at the protection and support of the Soldier both in and out of Theater,” stated Donald Landy, vice president of government relations and operations for Crosslink. “This is accomplished by creatively exploiting the diverse properties of EAP-based technology that allows for the intelligent signaling of its stimulus-response mechanism in time-critical war circumstances.”


Crosslink is an industry leader in the development and manufacture of customized electroactive polymer coatings for innovative commercial and government applications. A privately held company, Crosslink is committed to pioneering solutions in the areas of antistatic coatings, corrosion prevention, detoxification, energy storage materials and flexible lighting. Crosslink is headquartered in St. Louis and operates additional facilities at Missouri State University in Springfield, Mo. and the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Miss.


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