Kurve Technology won a U.S. Defense Dept. contract to test a new formulation for combating traumatic brain injuries.

The Mill Creek, Wash.-based company makes a controlled particle dispersion device designed to deliver liquid drugs through a controlled, turbulent flow, according to the company’s website. Its ViaNase electronic atomizer can deliver most drug compounds through the nose and has thousands of device configurations. Kurve Technology first received a patent for the nasal drug delivery technology in 2007.

“We are pleased that the DoD recognizes the value we bring to intranasally-challenging drug delivery. This is our third collaboration with the DoD and we look forward to taking it to fruition. We are currently involved in 17 nose-to-brain clinical studies, and with this one, we expect to be dosing by mid-summer,” CEO Marc Giroux said in a press release.

Kurve is participating in two other DoD projects for post-traumatic stress disorder in New York City. One project has completed Phase I trials and is moving into Phase II, the company said.

“We are grateful that the DoD takes on studies that affect large numbers of civilians, not just servicemen. Their efforts will benefit the sufferers along with their families whose lives are also severely impacted by these conditions,” Giroux said.

Kurve Technology devices are designed to bypass the blood-brain barrier to improve the quality of life of people who have neurodegenerative diseases and neurological disorders. The devices are also used for topical and systemic therapies that are typically done in nasal drug delivery.