High Speed Imaging Techniques to Study Effects of Pressure Waves from Detonating Explosive Charges on Biological Materials

Abstract

Threshold shock-impulse levels required to induce cellular injury and cumulative effects upon single and/or multiple exposures are not well-characterized. There are very few in vitro experimental model with blast pressure waves generated by using explosives in the laboratory for investigating the effects of primary blast induced traumatic brain injury. Hence, it is critical to develop a reliable experimental research tool in the laboratory to study how functional and structural alteration or damage at the cellular and tissue levels following explosive blast impacts for future improvement of detection and subsequent treatment and protection. US Army Research Laboratory (ARL) developed the unique in vitro indoor experimental platform that uses military explosive charges to accurately represent battle-field blast exposure and to probe the effects of primary explosive blast on dissociated neurons and tissue slices. We believe this is one of the controlled experimental methods to analyze, characterize primary explosive blast induced cellular injury, and understand threshold injury phenomenon.