Melbourne-based respiratory imaging technology company 4DMedical (ASX:4DX) has signed an agreement with Vanderbilt University Medical Centre (VUMC) as part of a grant awarded by the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
The Military Exposures Research Programme (MERP), an Office of Research and Development (ORD) initiative of the VA, seeks to advance military exposure assessments and to understand the effects of military exposures on Veterans’ health outcomes to inform care and policy.
MERP grant funding by the VA has enabled deployment of XV LVAS at the Vanderbilt University Institute for Imaging Sciences (VUISS) in Nashville, Tennessee, a hub for Veterans’ health research.
4DMedical’s participation in this pivotal burn pit research grant follows a previous successful collaboration with VUMC. On 31 August 2022, the company announced a major milestone in a clinical trial conducted at VUMC in partnership with Nashville Veterans Affairs Medical Centre. This study was designed to test the capability of XV Technology to determine the presence of respiratory disease in Veterans exposed to airborne hazards while on deployment.
The study enrolled a group of Veterans who had surgical lung biopsy-confirmed deployment-related constrictive bronchiolitis (CB) and a control group. Results from the study demonstrated that XV Technology confirmed the diagnosis of CB, setting it apart from conventional diagnostic methods such as CT and pulmonary function testing (PFT), and as a dramatically safer and less expensive alternative to surgical biopsy.
“4DMedical’s inclusion in this pivotal study cements our position as a leading technology for Veterans exposed to burn pits,” MD, CEO and founder Andreas Fouras said.
“4DMedical’s XV Technology will assist Veterans, clinicians and researchers at the VA to detect lung disease associated with toxic exposure sensitively and non-invasively. This project, combined with our recent news regarding the use of Imbio’s LTA to detect pulmonary fibrosis in Veterans, highlights the growing profile and momentum 4D has at the VA.”
