Cattle Could Save Troops
Yes there is pork in appropriations bills but in the case of the Defense Bill there’s also cattle, I’m Susan Allen stay tuned for OpenRange. The Defense Appropriations Bill that passed recently had a provision to fund research on cattle. Yes we know that throughout history troops have been sustained by beef products but now cattle by-products hold the potential to save lives of wounded soldiers as well. A South Dakota bio-tech company called IKOR is developing a method of using the blood from cattle to treat troops suffering from blood loss. Hemoglobin that currently goes to waste at rendering plants is used as a blood replacement product that can heal wounds more rapidly. The current products available to the armed forces have a short shelf life and are required to be refrigerated thus are difficult to store and carry into the battlefield. In contrast, IKORS technology doesn’t require refrigeration and has a shelf life of years. The focus and funding has been from the US Armed forces thanks in part to the efforts of Tim Johnson a South Dakota senator who helped IKOR secure funding as part of the Defense Appropriations Bill. The implications go well beyond military, imagine if Haiti had access to a product that could stop rapid blood loss. Sadly it can take years to come to market as the company has just started the long process of regulation and is working to get federal approval to test on humans. It’s exiting research! I’m Susan Allen
