The University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences has received a nearly $100 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) to continue a clinical research program that advances trauma care.
The 10-year contract renewal will fund new and ongoing research conducted through the Linked Investigative Trauma and Emergency Services (LITES) Network, a consortium of nearly 50 trauma centers in the U.S. and Canada. University of Pittsburgh physician-scientists are leading the network to identify the best emergency care for people who have sustained traumatic injuries.
“Trauma remains the leading cause of death for people under 45 years of age. It’s also the leading cause of preventable death, which means these people don’t have to die. The research and clinical innovation we’re doing through the LITES network is saving lives.”
Jason Sperry, MD, MPH, LITES co-principal investigator, professor of surgery and critical care medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and chief of the division of trauma and general surgery at UPMC
With renewed funding, the LITES network will also launch its 10th study, the Early Plasma Resuscitation to Evaluate Burn Volume and Endotheliopathy (PREEVEnT) trial. The trial will begin at UPMC Mercy, one of the nation’s leading burn centers, and will include approximately 12 other sites across North America. The goal of the PREEVEnT trial is to determine whether giving plasma to burn patients as soon as possible results in better outcomes than standard of care.
Since first launching in 2016, the LITES network has completed five studies that have the potential to change the way trauma care is practiced, including several observational studies to learn how trauma is treated in the U.S. and see the outcomes of different interventions for specific patients, as well as a trial comparing platelet administration, which helps blood clot early in trauma, to usual care and a trial to improve pain management.
LITES also has four ongoing clinical trials addressing airway management, pre-hospital pain management, whole blood transfusions and early treatment of patients with severe blood loss.
“The strength of the LITES Network lies in our partnerships with dozens of trauma centers dedicated to providing the best possible life-saving medical care to the communities we serve,” said co-principal investigator Dr. Steven Wisniewski, professor of epidemiology and vice dean for clinical trials data coordination at Pitt Health Sciences. “Their support and meticulous attention to detail are the foundation of the transformation in trauma care that the LITES Network is leading.”
Co-lead investigator Francis Guyette, MD, MPH, professor of emergency medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, medical director of STAT MedEvac, and emergency physician at UPMC, explained that until the past decade or so, research and advancements in care in the prehospital trauma setting lagged behind other areas of medicine.
“Trauma patients are a difficult population to study; there’s typically no time to enroll patients in clinical trials, and the transition from paramedics and emergency medical personnel to trauma center physicians is quick and urgent,” Guyette said. “It takes a lot of infrastructure to conduct trials in a way that benefits both current and future patients. The LITES network provides those resources.”
In addition to Guyette, Wisniewski and Sperry, the core leadership of the LITES network also includes University of Pittsburgh administrators Laura Vincent, Abby Cotton and Laurie Silfes.
This research is supported by Department of Defense Contract No. HT9425-24-3-0002. Any opinions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Defense.
The University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences has received a nearly $100 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) to continue a clinical research program that advances trauma care.
The 10-year contract renewal will fund new and ongoing research conducted through the Linked Investigative Trauma and Emergency Services (LITES) Network, a consortium of nearly 50 trauma centers in the U.S. and Canada. University of Pittsburgh physician-scientists are leading the network to identify the best emergency care for people who have sustained traumatic injuries.
“Trauma continues to be the leading cause of death in people under 45,” said LITES co-principal investigator Jason Sperry, MD, MPH, professor of surgery and critical care medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and chief of the division of trauma and general surgery at UPMC. “Trauma is also the leading cause of preventable death, which means these people don’t have to die. The research and clinical innovation we’re doing through the LITES network is saving lives.”
With renewed funding, the LITES network will also launch its 10th study, the Early Plasma Resuscitation to Evaluate Burn Volume and Endotheliopathy (PREEVEnT) trial. The trial will begin at UPMC Mercy, one of the nation’s leading burn centers, and will include approximately 12 other sites across North America. The goal of the PREEVEnT trial is to determine whether giving plasma to burn patients as soon as possible results in better outcomes than standard of care.
Since first launching in 2016, the LITES network has completed five studies that have the potential to change the way trauma care is practiced, including several observational studies to learn how trauma is treated in the U.S. and see the outcomes of different interventions for specific patients, as well as a trial comparing platelet administration, which helps blood clot early in trauma, to usual care and a trial to improve pain management.
LITES also has four ongoing clinical trials addressing airway management, pre-hospital pain management, whole blood transfusions and early treatment of patients with severe blood loss.
“The strength of the LITES Network lies in our partnerships with dozens of trauma centers dedicated to providing the best possible life-saving medical care to the communities we serve,” said co-principal investigator Dr. Steven Wisniewski, professor of epidemiology and vice dean for clinical trials data coordination at Pitt Health Sciences. “Their support and meticulous attention to detail are the foundation of the transformation in trauma care that the LITES Network is leading.”
Co-lead investigator Francis Guyette, MD, MPH, professor of emergency medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, medical director of STAT MedEvac, and emergency physician at UPMC, explained that until the past decade or so, research and advancements in care in the prehospital trauma setting lagged behind other areas of medicine.
“Trauma patients are a difficult population to study; there’s typically no time to enroll patients in clinical trials, and the transition from paramedics and emergency medical personnel to trauma center physicians is quick and urgent,” Guyette said. “It takes a lot of infrastructure to conduct trials in a way that benefits both current and future patients. The LITES network provides those resources.”
In addition to Guyette, Wisniewski and Sperry, the core leadership of the LITES network also includes University of Pittsburgh administrators Laura Vincent, Abby Cotton and Laurie Silfes.
This research is supported by Department of Defense Contract No. HT9425-24-3-0002. Any opinions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Defense.
