“In the wake of trauma, it’s not uncommon for people to experience overlapping TBI and PTS symptoms.”
Magali Haas, MD, PhD
CEO & President
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Dear Friends and Colleagues,
In March I had the privilege of meeting U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Matthew Mitchell.
Matthew and his lovely family were chosen by the home makeover show Military Makeover with Montel to have their home in St. Petersburg, Florida renovated. I was honored to be part of his home-makeover experience by appearing on the show to discuss traumatic brain injury with Matthew.
While on deployment in Iraq, Matthew’s vehicle drove over an improvised explosive device (IED). The intense explosion and its aftermath left him with numerous injuries— including a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Matthew was awarded a Purple Heart for his service and sacrifice, but still lives with the physical and emotional scars from the traumatic event.
I told Matthew that he’s not alone. Many Veterans and service members experience both TBI and PTSD.
During PTSD Awareness Month, I’d like to highlight the correlation between TBI and PTS. Experiencing a TBI, as Matthew did in the context of war, is an extremely traumatic event. In the wake of such trauma, it’s not uncommon for people to experience overlapping TBI and PTS symptoms. Tragically, both conditions are leading risk factors for suicide.
In this newsletter, you’ll learn about our latest efforts to fast-track solutions for brain trauma for Veterans like Matthew and all people suffering from PTSD and TBI.
We're proud to have funded research that helps move PTSD diagnosis and treatment toward a biologically-based approach, which can provide the basis for the development of diagnostic tests and targeted treatments. We’re excited to utilize these findings for disease modeling and blood biomarker research, in order to deepen our understanding of therapeutic targets for PTSD.
Psychedelic compounds are currently under study as a possible solution for treating PTSD and other brain disorders. With CVB's rigorous approach to research, we’re committed to advocating for comprehensive biomedical research evaluation and assessment of psychedelic agents’ effectiveness, safety and best candidates for treatments.
I hope you are inspired by our research and advocacy updates below. As PTSD Awareness Month comes to a close, we look forward to the opportunities and progress that lies ahead.
Strength and Honor,
Magali Haas, MD, PhD
CEO & President
Cohen Veterans Bioscience
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Donate Today
Veterans, first responders, and all people suffering from the effects of brain trauma urgently need our help.
Every dollar helps fast-track our research to advance solutions for traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Triple Your Impact! Every $1 you donate will be matched by $2.
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Cohen Veterans Bioscience Joins Veteran Matthew Mitchell on Military Makeover with Montel to Discuss Traumatic Brain Injury
Cohen Veterans Bioscience CEO and President Dr. Magali Haas recently appeared on the latest episode of Military Makeover to discuss the “invisible wounds”, state of the science and pursuits to advance treatments related to traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Military Makeover with Montel® offers hope and a helping hand to members of our military and their loved ones. Show host and military advocate Montel Williams, a veteran of both the Marine Corps and the Navy, leads the Makeover team’s mission.
“We are honored to support a program that helps our veterans and grateful to be invited into the home of Matthew and his family to hear first hand his experience with TBI and PTSD”, said Magali Haas, MD, PhD, CEO & President of CVB.
Dr. Magali Haas meets with U.S. Army Staff Sergeant veteran Matthew Mitchell to listen to his experience and discuss the latest science pursuits for those affected by Traumatic Brain Injury and PTSD. Matthew’s vehicle drove over an improvised explosive device (IED) while on deployment in Iraq. The intense explosion and its aftermath left him with a TBI. For long periods of time, the traumatic incident affected his mental and emotional health, leading him into a dark hole of depression and PTSD. “The effects of Traumatic Brain Injury should never be underestimated and I fully support the advancements in science Cohen Veterans Bioscience is leading”, said Staff Sergeant Mitchell.
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Publication: Machine learning-based identification of a psychotherapy-predictive electroencephalographic signature in PTSD
Our Chief Medical Officer Allyson Gage, PhD is proud of our collaboration with Amit Etkin, MD, PhD and his team on a new research study published in Nature Mental Health, titled "Machine learning-based identification of a psychotherapy-predictive electroencephalographic signature in PTSD".
View Publication
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“Not all people with PTSD respond to psychotherapy. And there was no way of knowing in advance who would respond or not respond. This work is a great example of precision medicine or how we can identify biological differences in people with similar symptoms that inform their best treatment path.”
Allyson Gage, PhD
Chief Medical Officer & co-author of the study
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Publication: Global synergistic actions to improve brain health for human development
CVB's CEO & President Magali Haas MD, PhD and Brain Health Nexus co-Chair Inez Jabalpurwala, MBA, are co-authors of a paper highlighting the global burden of neurological disorders and proposing solutions to improve neurological health. This research effort also underscores the goal of our Brain Health Nexus initiative to develop a Brain Health Index (BHI) and develop a new model of collaboration to advance brain health globally.
View Publication
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CVB Advocates for Rigorous Approach to Research of Psychedelic Compounds for the Treatment of Brain Disorders
CVB is committed to improving the lives of people affected by trauma-related and other brain disorders through education, advocacy and advancing research into all therapeutics that demonstrate potential to treat the invisible wounds. Consistent with our mission, CVB will continue to advocate for rigorous biomedical research and the comprehensive evaluation and assessment of psychedelic agents’ effectiveness and safety and best candidates for treatments. We will also seek to promote policies and legislation that will positively impact Veterans health by advancing the research into the potential of psychedelic agents.
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- EQIPD Webinar Series
EQIPD (Enhancing Quality in Preclinical Data) develops solutions that facilitate improvements in data quality without impacting innovation and freedom of research, developed by scientists in academia and industry.
To support best practices and improvements in preclinical data quality, Cohen Veterans Bioscience is a guarantor of EQIPD, and we’re excited to be a part of EQIPD’s 2023 Webinar Series featuring presentations by experts in preclinical and translational research.
For more information, visit the EQIPD website and watch the webinar replays.
- Society of Biological Psychiatry Annual Meeting
We presented two posters at the Society of Biological Psychiatry Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA on April 27-29, 2023. The posters were titled "Utility of Wearable and Home Sensor (WHST) Technologies for Accelerating Insomnia Therapeutic Development and Enhancing Current Insomnia Treatment" and "Identification of Transdiagnostic Neurological Disorder Subtypes from DNA Methylation Marker Analysis".
- Medical Informatics Europe 2023
We presented during a panel on optimizing data sharing, titled "Examining Efforts To Optimize Data Sharing For Brain Health: From Global Data Democratization To Collaborative Analysis Environments" at the Medical Informatics Europe 2023 conference in Gothenburg, Sweden on May 22-25, 2023.
- BIO International Convention
Our CEO & President Dr. Magali Haas and former Grantee Dr. Amit Etkin of Alto Neuroscience were panelists on "Beyond Drug Approvals: Clinical Trials that Actually Advance CNS Innovation" at the BIO International Convention on June 5-8, 2023 in Boston, MA.
- Traumatic Brain Injury Conference
We presented the TBI roadmap and action plan at the 13th Annual Traumatic Brain Injury Conference in Washington, D.C. on June 19-20, 2023.
- Neurotrauma 2023
We're excited to present new findings at the Neurotrauma 2023 symposium in Austin, Texas on June 25-28, 2023. Our team is presenting multiple posters, including "Normative Neuroimaging Library: A large, curated brain-behavior dataset of healthy controls", "Cytokines as Potential Predictive Biomarkers for Intensive Prolonged Exposure Therapy for PTSD in Post- 9/11 Veterans and Military Service Members", and "Prognostic indicators of chronic functional outcome in mild Traumatic Brain Injury".
- 2023 MPS World Summit
Mark Zervas, PhD, our Head of Discovery & Preclinical Research, is presenting at a workshop hosted by imec at the MPS World Summit on June 26-30, 2023.
- 2023 Amygdala Function in Emotion, Cognition and Disease Conference
We're proud to sponsor the 2023 Amygdala Function in Emotion, Cognition and Disease Conference, held July 9-14, 2023 in Castelldefels, Spain.
- 2023 Military Health System Research Symposium
We will discuss wearable and home sensor (WHST) technologies for accelerating insomnia therapeutic development and enhancing current insomnia treatment in Kissimmee, Forida on August 14-17, 2023. The poster we will present is titled "TPV, Utility of Wearable and Home Sensor (WHST) Technologies for Accelerating Insomnia Therapeutic Development and Enhancing Current Insomnia Treatment".
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From the Frontlines of Awareness
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22 Jumps at Twin Falls, Idaho Raises Awareness and Funds for TBI Research During Memorial Day Weekend
Thank you and congratulations to the 22 Jumps BASE jumpers and all of the supporters, volunteers and sponsors!
The BASE jumpers included:
- Maj. Theresa Nafis, F-35B pilot, US Marine Corps
- PO1 Kristen Jacobson, Explosive Ordnance Disposal, US Navy
- Carly Lucas, Firefighter, San Jose Fire Department
- Michael Byrness, 160th SOAR Veteran, US Army
The weekend's events began on Friday, May 26, 2023, with a keynote presentation from Cohen Veterans Bioscience Chief Medical Officer Allyson Gage, PhD discussing the state of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) research. Physicians and researchers representing world-renowned health and research organizations also led discussions on mental health, physical health, and solutions development at the Orpheum Theatre. Proceeds from ticket sales will help develop new solutions for TBI for service members and Veterans.
Funds raised are part of the Kiernan Wimmer Fund to support the TBI Action Alliance of which 22 Jumps is a Founding Sponsor. The TBI Action Alliance is a new Community Coordination model to accelerate a first generation of diagnostics and treatments for Traumatic Brain Injury
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“Our country’s heroes are increasingly taking their own lives because of the invisible wounds of war. We are excited to host this amazing event, and to have the continued support of Cohen Veterans Bioscience as they lead the way in the fight to find new diagnostics and treatments for TBI.”
Tristan Wimmer
Marine Veteran & Founder of 22 Jumps
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Share Your Story: Join the TBI Trailblazers Volunteer Network
 There are 5.3 million Americans living with the effects of TBI. That’s why we’re launching the TBI Trailblazers Volunteer Network, a community of Veteran and civilian volunteers who have suffered a TBI or lost a loved one due to brain trauma and want to share their story.
How has TBI impacted you or the lives of your loved ones? Your voice matters.
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Donate Today
Veterans, first responders, and all people suffering from the effects of brain trauma urgently need our help.
Every dollar helps fast-track our research to advance solutions for traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Triple Your Impact! Every $1 you donate will be matched by $2.
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