Today, the only reliable diagnosis is the CT Scan, which is only available in some hospitals and, in addition to being expensive, exposes patients to radiations. Researchers, have developed a small device - Point-of-Care Test (POCT) - that analyses the level of proteins in the blood and allows, using a single drop of blood, to diagnose the possibility of a mild traumatic brain injury. This discovery, described in PLOS ONE, will not only relieve emergency departments, free patients from often long waits, but also save on costly medical examinations.
Falling whilst skiing, tumbling down the stairs or getting hit on the head can cause symptoms such as blurred vision, vomiting, loss of consciousness or memory for about 30 minutes. There is then a risk of mild cerebral trauma, which represents more than 90% of brain injuries admitted to hospitals. But is there really a brain lesion? Or are these symptoms merely the consequence of the violence of the shock, of which will ultimately only leave a bump behind?
Today, the injured patients have to go to the emergency rooms of hospitals equipped with a CT Scan, an expensive examination that sends X-rays to the brain to detect the presence or absence of brain trauma. As their case is not a priority, it often takes a long time for the majority of patients to return home without risk of sequelae, except for bad memories.
"We wondered if it was possible to isolate certain proteins whose presence in the blood increases in the event of mild traumatic brain injury,» explains the author. "Our idea was to find a way to do a quick examination that would allow, during a boxing or American football match for example, to determine whether the athlete can return to the field or if his condition requires hospitalization. The opposite of the CT Scan, an exam that lasts a long time and cannot be done anywhere," the author adds.
During a shock on the head, some brain cells are damaged and release the proteins they contain, increasing their level in the blood. Scientists then compared the blood of patients admitted for mild traumatic brain injury but diagnosed as negative with that of patients actually suffering from a brain lesion. Using proteomic analyses, which can quantify thousands of proteins simultaneously and observe variations in their levels in the blood, they gradually isolated four molecules indicating the presence of a brain injury: H-FABP, Interleukin-10, S100B and GFAP. "We have noticed that the H-FABP level alone makes it possible to confirm that there is no risk of trauma in one third of patients admitted after a shock," enthuses the author. The rest of the patients will have to undergo a CT scan to confirm the diagnosis.
It was still necessary to develop a device that could be used everywhere, quickly and simply, and that could be available in pharmacies or sports halls. "When a person has an accident in the mountain, few practices can do a CT Scan," notes the researcher. The team has developed a rapid diagnostic test (POCT) called TBIcheck, inspired by the principle of pregnancy testing: by placing a single drop of blood on the well of a small 5cm plastic case, the patient knows within 10 minutes whether there is a risk of mild trauma, namely whether or not his H-FABP level is higher than 2.5 nanograms per millilitre of blood. "If a lane appears, the injured person must go to a hospital for a CT scan, if there is nothing, he can go home safely!" the author says. In case of doubt when reading the result, a small reader, the Cube Reader, can be installed on TBIcheck. It will display the word "positive" or "negative" and send the result to the patient's or caregiver's smartphone via Bluetooth. No more doubts!
These results, patented by UNIGE and awarded the Prix de l'Innovation Academy in December 2017, will be marketed from 2019 by ABCDx, a start-up founded four years ago by Jean-Charles Sanchez of UNIGE and Joan Montaner of Vall d'Hebron Hospital in Barcelona, co-authors of this study. "Today, our research shows that the results are even more accurate when we combine H-FABP and GFAP levels," continues the author. "We are currently preparing an even more effective TBIcheck, which will allow 50% of patients to be sent home, but which requires an increase in the sensitivity of the test that receives the blood." ABCDx's ultimate goal is to bring to market biomarkers capable of diagnosing brain trauma, stroke and aneurysms. "Biomarkers are a mine of information on patients' state of health, it is up to us to decode them," concludes the researcher.
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0200394
Markers for brain injury!
- 1,839 views
- Added
Edited
Latest News
A drug to prevent flu-induc…
By newseditor
Posted 18 Apr
New origin of deep brain waves
By newseditor
Posted 17 Apr
Starving cells hijack prote…
By newseditor
Posted 17 Apr
Miniature battery-free epid…
By newseditor
Posted 17 Apr
Molecular causes of differe…
By newseditor
Posted 16 Apr
Other Top Stories
A wireless closed-loop system for optogenetic peripheral neuromodul…
Read more
Detecting Alzheimer's disease six months before diagnosis using AI
Read more
Inhalable form of messenger RNA created!
Read more
Safer and more efficient gene editing!
Read more
LEDs to improve health, food!
Read more
Protocols
MemPrep, a new technology f…
By newseditor
Posted 08 Apr
A tangible method to assess…
By newseditor
Posted 08 Apr
Stem cell-derived vessels-o…
By newseditor
Posted 06 Apr
Single-cell biclustering fo…
By newseditor
Posted 01 Apr
Modular dual-color BiAD sen…
By newseditor
Posted 31 Mar
Publications
How does the microbiota con…
By newseditor
Posted 18 Apr
The integrated stress respo…
By newseditor
Posted 18 Apr
The immunobiology of herpes…
By newseditor
Posted 17 Apr
Circulating microbiome DNA…
By newseditor
Posted 17 Apr
Spindle oscillations in com…
By newseditor
Posted 17 Apr
Presentations
Hydrogels in Drug Delivery
By newseditor
Posted 12 Apr
Lipids
By newseditor
Posted 31 Dec
Cell biology of carbohydrat…
By newseditor
Posted 29 Nov
RNA interference (RNAi)
By newseditor
Posted 23 Oct
RNA structure and functions
By newseditor
Posted 19 Oct
Posters
A chemical biology/modular…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Aug
Single-molecule covalent ma…
By newseditor
Posted 04 Jul
ASCO-2020-HEALTH SERVICES R…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-HEAD AND NECK CANCER
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-GENITOURINARY CAN…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar