StemRad

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StemRad is an Israeli - US company based in Tel Aviv that develops, manufactures and markets personal protective equipment for protection against ionizing radiation. Their main product is the 360 Gamma , a device that is used for radiation protection and is supposed to protect the bone marrow in the pelvic bone . In July 2015, the collaboration between StemRad and the aerospace company Lockheed Martin was announced to develop personal radiation protection for Austronauts.

history

StemRad was founded in December 2011 by Dr. Oren Milstein and Daniel Levitt founded. The Chernobyl nuclear disaster was the impetus and trigger for the company to be set up, as many firefighters and engineers who were the first on site died due to gamma radiation after suffering from what is known as acute radiation syndrome. Another impetus for product development is the steadily growing nuclear threat to the State of Israel. After the Fukushima nuclear disaster in March 2011, the two company founders joined forces with Nobel Prize laureates Roger Kornberg , Aaron Ciechanover and future laureate Michael Levitt with the common vision of “saving those who save us.” The group was strengthened by joining by Prof. Richard Champlin from MD Anderson, who cared for the radiologically ill first aiders in the first days of the accident in Chernobyl. At the end of 2011, the group secured the financing of the venture capital fund Wanka Capital and with additional private investors they founded the company in Tel Aviv. The US subsidiary in Palo Alto , California was founded shortly afterwards.

overview

According to co-founder Dr. Oren Milstein, this is the first product of its kind that protects against gamma radiation. With the introduction of the 360 ​​Gamma, StemRad contradicted the common opinion that the whole body must be protected as well as possible. The problem that arises in trying to protect the whole body is the resulting weight. Nobel laureate Michael Levitt explains: "A full-body protective suit with this level of protection would weigh around 200kg." For this reason, protective devices made of thin but heavy damping material against radiation have been used to ensure freedom of movement. However, this type of shielding only protects against alpha and beta radiation, but not against the very penetrating gamma radiation. The available protective equipment is therefore insufficient to protect against the acute adverse health effects of exposure to gamma radiation (i.e. acute radiation syndrome or radiation sickness). The StemRad products do not attempt to shield the entire body of the wearer, but rather to specifically protect the region of the pelvis that extends to the bone marrow.

technology

The biological-regenerative process that takes place after exposure to radiation is extremely important so that the body can recover from the acute health-damaging effects of radiation exposure. The human tissue with the most regenerative potential is the bone marrow. It is well documented that with human exposure to gamma radiation at a dose up to 10 Gy (mean lethal dose = 4Gy), the life-limiting factor is damage to bone marrow tissue. The radiation exposure after a nuclear disaster, for example an explosion of an atomic bomb or a core meltdown in a nuclear power plant, is roughly at this level. Hence, StemRad came up with a new approach, as a high number of deaths from gamma-ray exposure in the event of a nuclear disaster could be prevented if the viability of the bone marrow is preserved. The 360 Gamma is similar in design to a belt and is designed to protect the bone marrow located in the hipbone (i.e., the pelvis). The pelvic area contains up to 50% of the active bone marrow in an adult, and this is where bone marrow is usually removed for a transplant. The belt weighs about 14 kg and allows the wearer relative freedom of movement because he is sitting at the body's center of gravity. StemRad is open to the fact that their product does not protect the entire bone marrow and therefore radiation can get into the shielded region. Nevertheless, it is claimed that the product can save lives even with a very high dose of gamma radiation, based on the regenerative potential of the medullary tissue. The regenerative capacity of the bone marrow can be demonstrated in a transplant, with the donor donating only a fraction (less than 5%) of his marrow, which is sufficient to replenish the bone marrow of a fatally irradiated patient, even at a dose above 10 Gy. StemRad believes that it has found the minimum amount of bone marrow necessary to recover from radiation exposure. After anatomical analysis, a product has been developed that is able to protect this critical amount of bone marrow. To reduce weight, StemRad takes into account the natural shielding properties of human tissue by making the thickness at each point inversely proportional to the thickness and radiopacity of the underlying tissue that is being protected. According to StemRad, the 360 ​​Gamma was tested against a cloud source of gamma radiation to represent a real life situation.

space

The StemRad 360 Gamma is currently designed as a portable vest that protects first aiders and rescue workers from dangerous gamma radiation.

Lockheed Marting is the prime contractor in the construction of Orion, the next generation NASA spacecraft designed to transport people. In providing safeguards for a long-term mission in space, a successful adaptation of the commercial 360 StemRad Gamma would be a key element in protecting the health and safety of astronauts.

The joint project won the support of a bilateral research project and is supported by grants from Space Floria, the agency for economic development and space travel in Florida, and from MATIMOP, the responsible scientific authority in the Israeli Ministry of Economic Affairs. The finished AstroRad product should serve to protect austronauts in deep space. The Lockheed Martin team believes this innovation is a possible solution to increase the safety of the crew when traveling to Mars. In January 2017, the signing of an agreement between the Israel Space Agency and the German Aerospace Center was announced, in which the StemRad solution concept is to be tested on board the NASA Orion Exploration Mission in deep space.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Lockheed Martin and StemRad Studying First-Responder Radiation Shield for Potential Deep-Space Application
  2. ^ Dismantling the Bomb: meet the scientists that will cause humanity to stop worrying about nuclear threats The Marker
  3. ↑ US DOCTORS IN SOVIET SAY 4 MORE DIED New York Times
  4. ↑ Israeli Company Invents Nuclear Proof Vest That Protects Against Toxic Radiation The Algemeiner
  5. ^ Radiation belt a new line of defense in nuclear emergency yahoo.com
  6. ↑ National Planning Scenarios Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
  7. ^ Radiation belt a new line of defense in nuclear emergency yahoo.com
  8. ^ Acute Radiation Syndrome: Fact Sheet for Physicians CDC
  9. ↑ National Planning Scenarios Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
  10. ^ 'Anti-radiation belt' developed by Israeli firm for nuclear emergencies RT
  11. ↑ Donating bone marrow Marrow.org
  12. ↑ Goldman, JM; et al. (1986). "Bone marrow transplantation for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia". N Engl J Med. 314 (4): 202-7. doi : 10.1056 / nejm198601233140403
  13. ↑ Thomas ED; et al. (1982). Marrow transplantation for acute nonlymphoblastic leukemic in first remission using fractionated or single-dose irradiation Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 8 (5): 817-21.
  14. ↑ SPACE FLORIDA AND ISRAEL'S CHIEF SCIENTIST ANNOUNCE THIRD-ROUND WINNERS OF INNOVATION PARTNER FUNDING
  15. ↑ Lockheed Martin and StemRad Studying First-Responder Radiation Shield for Potential Deep-Space Application
  16. ^ New Israeli radiation protection development to be launched into space mfa.gov.il
  17. ^ Protection from space radiation : German-Israeli cooperation in space www.dlr.de