— along with the Food and Drug Ad-
ministration's investigational new drug
application — need to be completed
before any tests could be conducted on
humans.
"Funding to get those studies done,
that is where the gap is," she said. "NIH
does not fund that, and pharmaceuti-
cal companies do not fund that. That's
where we have a gap. To get that done,
we have to seek unconventional sources
of funding."
Her current research focuses primar-
ily on severe TBI, compared to cases
of mild TBI more frequently sustained
during athletic competitions. Her inject-
able compound, however, could even-
tually be used in response to mild TBI.
"With severe TBI you can look at the
animal models and do a model for se-
vere TBI," she said. "If you're looking
at mild TBI, even in humans you may
not see effects for several years. It's a lot
harder to see if you have an effect in the
animals or if there's something you can
measure as an effect." ✦
The injectable compound Notre Dame chemistry and biology professor Mayland Chang's team has researched
can replenish up to 60 percent of brain cells lost during a traumatic brain injury during tests on rodents.
PHOTO BY MATT CASHORE/UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME
