In 2013, Northeast Biomedical, Inc. received a phone call from a Ph.D. student, Vanessa Doulames at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell Center for Neuroscience. Looking to create a device that would allow for measurable and accurate test results to be able to study Traumatic Brain Injury, Doulames had opened the door for NEB equipment to be used across the globe.
Traumatic Brain Injury or TBI occurs when any outside mechanical force creates an injury that causes a dysfunction in the brain. Being an incredibly complex organ, this event can produce a broad spectrum of symptoms ranging from both physical and psychological. TBI recently entered the headlines again when former New England tight end Aaron Hernandez presented severe and advanced brain damage. This form of TBI known as CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) was thought to show itself later in life after a sufferer experiences repeated trauma to the head over a number of years. However, doctors who performed a post-hamous exam on the previously convicted murderer said the damage was as severe as a player in their 60’s, Hernandez was only 27 at his time of death. CTE links TBI to not only the physical effects but the mental ones as well, with many former sports stars suffering from various forms of psychological maladies.
System 2700: Cases like these once again remind us of the need for further study on the intricacies of the human brain. Northeast biomedical was able to work directly with the researcher to create this specialty medical research tool tailored to her unique needs. We developed our initial device, Catalog number 2700. This system allowed to repeat and accurate simulation of head injuries in a controlled environment. Following the creation of what we thought was going to be a one need, one device case we went on to sell four more systems from this series. Current users include; the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Centre Hospitalier de Nantes (CHU, a public hospital located in France), Vassar College and the Defence University of Malaysia.
System 2700-300: In 2015, NEB was granted the opportunity to redesign its original series. Dr. Melinda Fitzgerald contacted us to adapt our device to make it applicable to the area of TBI she was researching.
This new tool the 2700-300 upon completion was also purchased by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in 2016. This new series allowed for the researcher to simulate injuries in a pass-through movement, affecting an impact more similar to bouncing off a windshield or other object and closer to real life conditions.
For more information on the kinds of studies that NEB equipment has been cited in using, please click on the following published scientific articles:
Northeast Biomedical is proud to be part of the continued search for answers in the brain injury field. As with many research fields, preliminary studies have only begun to show how much we do not know. As we enter 2018 the TBI field is growing as many medicals groups, the federal government and even the NFL seek answers on the best methods to treat and manage these injuries. As you can see from the medical studies listed below our equipment is contributing directly to helping researchers seek answers, Here at NEB, we enjoy turning any idea even from specialized lab equipment such as the 2700 series to medical devices and concept development. We offer the following services:
Give us a call at (978) 649-5555 to begin the device development process for your idea!
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