The focus of the AENC research is on acute TBI prevention, identification, treatments and training. The AENC provides a powerful window of opportunity for medical clinicians and university researchers to conduct their research in a highly protected and predictable environment. AENC focuses on several areas of TBI research, and provides a number of research support services to those who partner with us.

Our Research Activites:

• Actively recruit expertise in TBI identification, prevention, and treatments
• Promote collaborative experiences across academia, private industry, and government
• Provide access to an unfortunately rich TBI generating military installation for member researchers
• Develop guidance for US Army training best practices to reduce training-related TBIs
• Support TBI education and awareness symposia at US Army training installations
• Provide access to the AENC Biorepository for clinical research applications

Our Strategic Partnership with Fort Leonard Wood:

• Fort Leonard Wood is home to the US Army Chemical, Engineer, and Military Police Regiments.
• Training related to these military specializations results in approximately 600 TBIs annually.
• The AENC has entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command to leverage this unique TBI population.

 
Our Signature Research Areas:

The four areas the AENC has focused on are Protection, Identification, Treatments and Training. The AENC Board of Directors and its members selected University and team members to lead in these categories, plus one as follows:

Detection and Characterization:
The evaluation of integrated behavioral, molecular, and neuroimaging biomarkers for objective TBI identification is a primary focus for the AENC and this initiative is led by Dr. Casey Burton from Missouri University of Science and Technology.

Treatment and Management:
The development of innovative interventions can mitigate the comorbidities and long-term clinical sequelae associated with TBI. This signature area involves a multidisciplinary approach aimed at using evidence-based medicine to reduce the acute and chronic effects of TBI. The leadership of this initiative is currently vacant.

Prevention:
The AENC embraces the development of new wearable technologies aimed at mitigating concussive forces and providing real-time monitoring, as well as novel prophylactics for preventing the acute effects of TBI. This signature research area is led by Dr. Jie Huang and Dr. Rex Gerald from Missouri University of Science and Technology.

Military Training Guidance:
The AENC is committed to reducing the burden of TBI in our armed forces and works closely with the US Army to provide guidance on its military training program. This signature area is led by LTC (Ret.) Stephen Tupper, from Missouri University of Science and Technology.

Epidemiology and Biostatistics:
This signature area is focused on enhancing the capabilities of the US Army to track concussive injuries to better identify soldiers at risk for secondary injury and provides statistical programming support for the AENC research team with an emphasis on integrating diverse clinicopathological factors to create a personalized landscape for TBI, and is led by Dr. Anthony Caruso from University of Missouri - Kansas City.

The Acute Effects of Neurotrauma Consortium is operated as an activity of Phelps County Regional Medical Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in partnership with the Leonard Wood Institute and the Clinical and Translational Research Program Office of the U.S. Army's Medical Research and Materiel Command.