MTEC pays homage to service members at Veterans Day luncheon

CHARLESTON, S.C., Nov. 19, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Congressman Joe Cunningham, Roger Thompson, LTG (Retired), U.S. Army, and Dr. Gautam Ghatnekar, President and CEO of Firststring Research participated in a luncheon honoring veterans and active duty military at Tavern and Table in Mount Pleasant on Monday.  The event was hosted by the Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium (MTEC), a nonprofit organization facilitating government-industry-academic partnerships to conduct medical research for military clinical needs on the battlefield and during recovery.  MTEC has recently funded a number of research projects to promote the health and welfare of our military, including clinical trials related to traumatic brain injury and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder therapies; vision restoration; muscle, tissue, vascular, and nerve regeneration; non-compressible, internal bleeding control; and new antibiotics for wound infections. 

The lunch highlighted the history of Veterans Day, including its origin as Armistice Day, as well as more modern examples of valor on the battlefield.  Attendees shared stories of surviving Medal of Honor recipients whose feats of courage and fortitude exemplify the fighting and, in some cases lifesaving capabilities of military service members. 

The discussion then moved toward current efforts to improve the health and welfare of today's Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and veterans.  Roger Thompson, LTG (Retired), U.S. Army described how the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) provides active engagement in retirement homes for veterans, supports federal legislation for Army members and vets, and works with rising ROTC students to prepare them for a life within the military. 

During the lunch, Mr. William Howell, MTEC's Chief Operating Officer presented a Certificate of Recognition to Dr. Gautam Ghatnekar, CEO of Firststring Research of Mount Pleasant, SC, for their work on a new medical compound to reduce inflammation from traumatic cell injury.  An early use of this technology will include treatment of radiation-based skin ulcers caused by potential dirty nuclear bombs.  However, the ability to stop the inflammation cascade could have broad applications for reducing the breadth and depth of injury after battlefield trauma.

Finally, Congressman Joe Cunningham spoke about his work with the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.  He explained that, in contrast to the representation of Congress on social media and television networks, there are large parts of the government actively engaged in public service efforts, many of which are bipartisan efforts.  The Veterans' Affairs Committee is one such group. The Committee has passed several bills supportive of veterans, including the Burn Pit Registry Enhancement Act, which records those exposed to inhalation hazards; the Blue Water Navy Veteran Act, which extends the agent orange benefits to Navy personnel assigned offshore during Vietnam; and the Tele-Hearing Modernization Act, which would allow veterans to teleconference in to Board of Veterans Appeals hearings from their personal computers in their own homes, rather than facing the time and distance burden of attending the meeting in-person at a Veterans Affairs facility.

Those interested in gaining further information about MTEC's mission and activities and who may want to contribute to MTEC's mission of protecting and healing those who serve, visit our website at mtec-sc.org. MTEC is managed by Advanced Technology International.

SOURCE ATI (Advanced Technology International)

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http://www.mtec-sc.org