Three studies in CNTR’s clinical research portfolio have reached an exciting milestone: COVER, BRIDGE and CryoFIRST are now enrolling patients. The studies tackle very different challenges in trauma care—from complex wounds and penetrating brain injuries to life-threatening hemorrhage—but share the goal of generating evidence that can improve outcomes for injured patients.
COVER (Combined OFM & Vacuum-assisted therapy for Expedited Regeneration over exposed structures) is a multicenter pilot trial examining a new approach to treating traumatic wounds with exposed bone or tendon. Led by Principal Investigator LTC Julie Rizzo, MD, the study is testing whether combining Ovine Forestomach Matrix, a biologic scaffold, with negative pressure wound therapy can accelerate soft tissue coverage compared with negative pressure wound therapy alone. Enrollment began at UT Health San Antonio and the University of Colorado Anschutz, and CNTR is managing study operations. COVER is funded by Aroa Biosurgery Limited.
BRIDGE (Bridging Readiness in Deployed Neurotrauma Gaps for Excellence) focuses on another difficult area of trauma care: penetrating brain injury. 
The three-year, U.S.-Ukraine initiative led by the University of Chicago combines research with training designed to improve the readiness of deployable neurosurgical teams. The principal investigator team at the University of Chicago and the University of Arizona includes Susan Rowell, MD, MBA, Paramita Das, MD, Fernando Goldenberg, MD, Ali Mansour, MD, Tim Plackett, DO, MPH, and Ken Wilson, MD. CNTR is coordinating a consortium of 11 clinical sites that will contribute data, imaging and biospecimens to repositories that can support future penetrating brain injury research. BRIDGE is funded by the U.S. Department of Defense through the Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium (MTEC).
Finally, CryoFIRST (Cryoprecipitate For Immediate Resuscitation in Severe Trauma) is studying how quickly and effectively fibrinogen, an important protein that helps blood clot, can be replaced in trauma patients with severe bleeding. The study looks at the use of INTERCEPT Fibrinogen Complex (IFC), a fibrinogen-rich blood product that can be kept ready for use, in patients who receive it as part of their routine trauma care. Researchers will compare these patients with information from similar trauma patients treated previously.
CryoFIRST will evaluate whether having fibrinogen replacement readily available helps patients receive treatment sooner and correct low fibrinogen levels more quickly. The study will also look at outcomes such as bleeding control, blood transfusion needs, complications, and survival. The study is being conducted across several participating Level I trauma centers, with the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland, Baltimore 
serving as the lead site and Deborah Stein, MD, MPH, serving as Study Principal Investigator. CryoFIRST is funded by the U.S. Department of Defense and is intended to generate real-world evidence on the feasibility and clinical impact of earlier fibrinogen replacement during trauma resuscitation.
Reaching active enrollment is a major milestone in the life of any clinical study, requiring months—and often years—of collaboration among investigators, research teams, participating sites, funders and partners. With all three studies now enrolling, COVER, BRIDGE and CryoFIRST are moving from planning and preparation to the patients and data that can ultimately help advance trauma care.