Abbott has announced the next phase of partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and researchers from the Transforming Research and Clinical Knowledge in Traumatic Brain Injury (TRACK-TBI) Network, one of the largest traumatic brain injury (TBI) efforts of its kind.
Together the groups will conduct a clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of Abbott’s point-of-care blood test technology, which is under development to help clinicians assess brain injuries within minutes, using only a few drops of a patient’s blood.
Krista Caudle, Ph.D., project manager, Neurotrauma and Psychological Health Project Management Office, U.S. Army Medical Materiel Development Activity (USAMMDA) said, “Traumatic brain injury is a significant health issue affecting both active Service Members and Veterans, and we are committed to developing solutions for those impacted by brain injury. Having a portable biomarker technology will give clinicians an objective measure of a Soldier’s brain injury in a matter of minutes and could potentially impact the care they receive when they are evaluated and treated.”
More than 380,000 military members have sustained TBIs over the past 20 years. To help improve efforts around this complex injury, Abbott and the DoD began their work in 2014 to develop a portable blood test that helps assess concussions right by a person’s side. As blood tests are relied on by healthcare providers to detect a variety of conditions due to their objectivity and speed, there’s been a growing need to develop a point-of-care blood test that could serve as a warning bell to clinicians that further evaluation is needed.
Beth McQuiston, M.D., R.D., board-certified neurologist and medical director, Diagnostics, Abbott said, “Developing a blood test for the brain takes robust, proven data and collaboration among the best minds in academia, industry and the public service sectors. This type of blood test could give clinicians more real-time, objective information about what’s happening to the brain, so they can make timely, accurate decisions right at the point of care.”
