Brain Injury Test
There might be a breakthrough brain injury test under development. While there has been a lot of attention on concussions in the world of sports, particularly football, these injuries can also impact people involved in auto accidents and fall injuries. Unfortunately, the evaluation of these injuries is often limited to clinical history, physical examination, and possible head imaging. Currently, there is no objective blood test that is used to diagnose TBIs. Recently, a research laboratory received a boost from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to speed along the development of a new test. This test could make it easier for medical professionals to diagnose mild traumatic brain injuries and concussions.
Brain Injury Test Development from BRAINBox Solutions
BRAINBox Solutions is a molecular diagnostics company that is dedicated solely to the advancement of brain injury diagnosis and treatment. BRAINBox Solutions has partnered with the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute to develop a new test for traumatic brain injuries. Fralin Biomedical Research Institute is located at the Virginia Tech Carilion Medical Center.
BRAINBox Solutions was granted the designation of “Breakthrough Device” from the FDA. This designation is given when there might be a potential paradigm shift in the diagnosis or treatment of a certain disease or injury. This designation places the BRAINBox Solutions test development on a fast-track in terms of research review and approval. If BRAINBox Solutions is successful in the development of their product, it will be the first blood-based test that could aid in both the diagnosis and prognosis of a mild traumatic brain injury.
A Test of Benefit to Numerous People
For the FDA to grant the breakthrough device designation, the research needs to be of wide benefit to numerous people. Countless individuals might be afflicted with a mild traumatic brain injury at any time. A few examples include:
- The elderly via slip and fall injuries
- Soldiers who are involved in combat
- Athletes who might suffer a concussion
- Individuals who are involved in an auto accident
Because of the potentially wide application of this new test, the FDA has given permission to BRAINBox to speed the development of their product; however, collaboration is paramount. This collaboration represents the collective effort of numerous creative scientists and physicians. All parties are committed to the development of a quick, powerful, and sustainable test that could help doctors diagnose a traumatic brain injury more quickly. If successful, this test will become the new standard of care when it comes to the diagnosis and prognostic prediction following a mild TBI.
A Mild TBI Can Have Long-Lasting Health Impacts
According to the CEO of BRAINBox Solutions, there are more than 5 million individuals evaluated in emergency departments across the United States every year for a potential mild TBI. With so many people, there is a pressing need to develop a new, fast test that can help doctors better serve their patients. Unfortunately, the classification of a “mild” TBI can be misleading. These head injuries could lead to multiple impacts on individuals long-term. Some of the examples include:
- Changes in someone’s personality
- Problems performing activities of daily living
- Challenges focusing at work or in school
- Recurrent headaches
- Trouble sleeping
Because of the potential long-term health impacts, it is important for doctors to properly diagnose these head injuries. Unfortunately, even though mild TBIs are the most common, they can be difficult to detect without an objective test. In many cases, doctors make this diagnosis based on the person’s clinical history and physical exam.
Watch YouTube Video: Traumatic Brain Injury Survivor Story: Joshua Roe. Watch Joshua Roe get a second chance at life after a traumatic brain injury due to an auto accident.
Recent Advances are Still Subjective Tests: A Possible Change
BRAINBox Solutions is far from the first company to try and develop a way to rapidly diagnose and treat mild traumatic brain injuries. There have been other state-of-the-art tests developed to help with the diagnostic process. Unfortunately, these are still neurocognitive tests that involve clinical questions and physical exam results.
The goal of BRAINBox solutions is to try to draw blood biomarkers that could indicate a brain injury has occurred. If the test is successful, the BRAINBox TBI test will give the doctors a single score. This score will incorporate data from not only the blood test but also other evaluations of neurocognitive performance and even head imaging. Using this score, doctors will be able to quickly make a determination regarding whether or not an injury has occurred. Then, with an accurate diagnosis, the treatment process can begin, and individuals will have a better shot at making a full recovery. It will be interesting to see what happens with BRAINBox’s development of this test.
San Francisco Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a traumatic brain injury lawyer in San Francisco. A new brain injury test is needed to aid in the diagnosis of a TBI. Should you or a family member be diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury following an accident, call me at (415) 805-7284 or (800) 404-5400 for free, friendly advice.
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