Research 

The laboratories, under the auspices of the Department of Neurosurgery, occupy over 25,000 sq ft and employ eight PhD scientists and 20 staff for conducting federally and privately funded research projects. Established in 1964, the labs have capabilities that extend from molecular/cellular investigations to full-scale vehicular crashworthiness. These include: microscopic-, cellular-, and gene-level evaluations, spine biomechanics, isolated tissue testing, assessment of occupant injury mechanisms, and vehicle crashworthiness assessment.

The laboratories employ both basic and applied science methods to study clinically relevant problems. Ongoing projects include: evaluation of treatment protocols after spinal cord injury; mechanisms of mild traumatic brain injury; head and spine injuries in vehicle crashes; evaluation of surgical treatment for the degenerating spine. Novel methodologies are used to conduct the research including: isolated tissue models, animal models, patient case reviews, computer stress/strain-based models, and vehicle crash simulations. Fundamental data regarding mechanisms of neurotrauma and levels of human tolerance are derived to give design criteria for primary intervention strategies and secondary prevention efforts. 

The laboratories are equipped and staffed for a full spectrum of clinical, basic science, and applied science investigations.

Our research facilities include:

Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital and Children's Hospital of Wisconsin

MACC Fund Research Building

Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center

Laboratory Facilities

The laboratories at the Zablocki VA Medical Center include comprehensive capabilities from microscopic, injury mechanisms, and cellular and gene level evaluations to vehicle crashworthiness.  This is the only facility which has all the above capabilities in an academic, hospital-based setting.

Other tissue-related laboratories include a high-speed electrohydraulic piston and drop tower.  These facilities are all complemented with complete hospital clinical assessments including x-ray, MRI and CT imaging.
Complete micro-level laboratories include: tissue culture and cellular imaging analysis, stem cell biology, histology and immunohistochemistry facilities, and neurobiology facility for protein isolation and expression analyses, and real-time PCR thermocycler for gene expression quantification. 

A full-scale crash laboratory is equipped and staffed for testing vehicles under frontal and side-impact scenarios.  The facility has a 471 ft. track with a 200 horse power DC motor and state-of-the-art data acquisition systems.  Current projects include testing for the US Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) under side impact.

Crash test results for this consumer information program are obtainable at http://www.safercar.gov/.

A separate facility includes a deceleration sled laboratory to conduct frontal-, side- and rear-impact simulations using various types of anthropomorphic surrogates.  This laboratory has been involved in providing data for biofidelity evaluations of various standard and prototype dummies under various crash modes.  The information generated in these laboratories is constantly being used to develop new criteria to assess the crashworthiness of vehicles.

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National Highway Traffic Safety Administrations' CIREN Program

Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin Department of Neurosurgery continues in its extensive research in vehicle crashworthiness in collaboration with The Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network (CIREN).  Here, Froedtert & The Medical College is equipped with a full-scale crash laboratory facilities to help significantly reduce the number of deaths on the nation's roadways and mitigate the severity of injuries sustained in motor vehicle crashes.  The Froedtert & The Medical College CIREN Center is the first to focus its activities on brain and spinal cord injuries in motor vehicle crashes, concentrating on injuries in the very young and the elderly. 

Early efforts to improve the safety of motor vehicles took place in an environment that made it necessary for safety engineers to investigate real-world crashes and work closely with physicians in order to understand how injuries occurred to real people.  This effort led to the development of crash test dummies and crashworthiness standards that have helped to significantly reduce the number of deaths on the nation's roadways and mitigate the severity of injuries sustained in motor vehicle crashes.  During this process, however, the focus of automotive safety engineers shifted to designing vehicles that produced "good numbers" from the instruments measuring impact forces on crash test dummies.  The CIREN program aims to return the focus to understanding how injuries occur to real people.

Video clips of crash dummies are available for viewing at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/real/index.html.

The Froedtert & The Medical College CIREN Center is sponsored by the administration of the Department of Neurosurgery, which includes clinicians, biomedical engineers, and research scientists with strong reputations in impact biomechanics.

Real-world crashes are investigated to further the following objectives:

• Reconstruct and understand crash and injury causation
   

• Improve prognosis and treatment for crash trauma patients
   

• Reduce time of recovery and treatment costs
   

• Simulate crash scenarios in laboratory environment
   

• Disseminate data to industry, regulatory, and public agencies
   

• Develop strategies to reduce fatalities and injuries in automobile accidents
   

• Provide information to improve public infrastructure to reduce accidents
   

• Develop and disseminate safety messages to the public
   

• Train health care providers in vehicular safety and associated care
   

The CIREN Center at Froedtert & The Medical College derives its uniqueness and strengths from:

           a) internationally renowned surgeons and researchers at the trauma center 

           b) world-class biomechanics and engineering investigators 

           c) the unparalleled impact testing facilities

The close collaboration between these groups, housed on a single campus, provides an ideal environment to achieve the CIREN Center's objectives and the CIREN program's aims.  This CIREN Center is the first to focus its activities on brain and spinal cord injuries in motor vehicle crashes, concentrating on injuries in the very young and the elderly.  Special attention will also be given to assuring quality improvement measures for injury scaling and crash investigation.

For further information regarding the Froedtert & The Medical College CIREN Center, contact one of the following at WICIREN@mcw.edu.