Stemrad gets $4.5m order from National Guard

Tampa-based StemRad has closed a $4.5 million contract deal to manufacture hundreds of its protective belts for U.S. National Guard soldiers and airmen. It's the first contract of its kind for the company — one that has taken nearly five years to complete — and it means the demand for StemRad's tech is building, particularly as geopolitical tensions grow. StemRad now has a commercially viable product and a first-mover advantage in the protective equipment market.

With this contract, StemRad continues to showcase the unique capabilities of its 360 Gamma radiation protective belts. By selectively shielding stem cell-rich organs in the pelvic region, StemRad is making protection from gamma radiation a reality. The 360 Gamma belt reduces the probability of cancer due to low-dose exposures while preventing early mortalities following high-dose exposures.

The $4.5 million contract, which was funded by the National Guard and Reserve Equipment Account, is for a total of 630 belts and onsite training at the Consequence Management Support Center in Lexington, Kentucky. When requested, the National Guard supports civil authorities in mitigating domestic radiological incidents, whether they are intentional acts, such as a dirty bomb, or accidents that can include a nuclear reactor meltdown.