One Mind for Research™ Receives Support From Wounded Warrior Project®

SEATTLE, April 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- One Mind for Research announced today that Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) has pledged  $3.5 million in support of One Mind's "Gemini Program," contingent upon One Mind securing additional funding.  "The Gemini Program" is a multi-year study of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS).

One Mind is catalyzing collaboration between international research centers, industry, and government to accelerate the translation of basic science into breakthrough diagnostics and improved treatments for all brain diseases and injuries. The Gemini Program is the first major research project in this mission.

Scheduled to launch in 2013, this multi-country, multi-site program will create a large-scale database of individuals with TBI and PTS with rigorous biomarker (e.g., genetics, imaging) and clinical measures. Gemini will enroll and follow 3,000-5,000 patients with head trauma in a multiple year study. Research of this scale will yield results that can be very rapidly translated into improved patient outcomes.

"This grant marks a significant breakthrough for our organization," said General Pete Chiarelli, (Ret.), Chief Executive Officer of One Mind for Research.  "Our goal is to bring together public, private, and government resources to fund major new brain related research that can deliver vastly improved diagnostic tools and treatments to patients very quickly."

"Traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress are the signature wounds of the current war and we know first-hand the profound and life-altering challenges wounded veterans face because of their effects," said Steve Nardizzi, Executive Director, Wounded Warrior Project. "WWP's mission is to honor and empower Wounded Warriors and it is our hope that research like this will provide critical insight to improve the lives of those living with these invisible wounds of war."

TBI affects an estimated 10 million people worldwide and more than 1.7 million in the U.S. every year. Up to 360,000 veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan suffered brain injuries. Over 53,000 Americans die every year due to TBI, and an estimated 5.3 million have lifelong disabilities caused by TBI. 

PTS is the most prevalent wound associated with over 12 years of war -- 50 percent of our most seriously wounded have PTS. The overall scale of PTS is immense: it is estimated to affect 8 percent of the population (25 million Americans) during their lifetime.

"We are very appreciative of this generous support from Wounded Warrior Project because it is a strong validation of One Mind's strategy of accelerating brain research that will directly lead to improved patient outcomes, beginning with TBI and PTS, which have become such a burden on soldiers, veterans, and our entire society," added One Mind CEO Chiarelli.

About One Mind for Research™

One Mind is an independent, non-partisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to curing the diseases of the brain and eliminating the stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness and brain injuries. One Mind sponsors groundbreaking new research and creates portals to shared scientific data, leading to improved diagnostics, more effective treatment, and, ultimately, cures for all types of mental illness and brain injury. To learn more, please visit 1mind4research.org. One Mind for Research is a division of the International Mental Health Research Organization, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.

About the Wounded Warrior Project®

The mission of Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) is to honor and empower wounded warriors. WWP's purpose is to raise awareness and to enlist the public's aid for the needs of injured service members, to help injured servicemen and women aid and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs. WWP is a national, nonpartisan organization headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. To get involved and learn more, visit woundedwarriorproject.org.

MEDIA CONTACT
Aaron Blank, 206-343-1543
[email protected]

SOURCE One Mind for Research