A metabolomics based blood test has been developed that can determine even
mild concussions with up to 95% accuracy.
Background
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major public health concern of epidemic proportions, with an annual incidence of 1.6 to 3.2 million in the United States. Mild TBI, of which concussion is a subset, is the most common representing nearly 75% of all TBIs [http://www.cdc.gov/TraumaticBrainInjury]. People of all age groups suffer concussions, from the very young to the elderly. Certain activities are more frequently associated with concussions, including athletics and military service, but they also result from general trauma caused by motor vehicle collisions, falls and assaults. Concussions often result in significant acute symptoms and in some individuals, long‐term neurological dysfunction. Diagnosis of a clinically‐significant concussion can be difficult, as are the decisions to stop play, school and/or work. It is also unclear when concussed patients should return to daily activities. Thus, there is great interest in the discovery of biomarkers to aid in concussion diagnoses, prognoses and rehabilitation.
Technology Overview
Metabolomics is a field of study that measures a person’s small metabolite profile (<1500 Daltons), including amino acids, acylcarnitines, glycerophospholipids, sphingolipids and sugars. The allure of metabolomics lies with the concept that metabolites fall downstream of genetic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and environmental variation, thus providing the most integrated and dynamic measure of phenotype and medical condition. Two complimentary methods for metabolomics are nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and mass spectrometry (MS). Both 1H NMR and DI‐LC‐MS/MS metabolic plasma profiles were obtained from individuals diagnosed clinically with concussion and in those without a concussion (“controls” or “normals”). These metabolite results were then analyzed with advanced mathematical techniques. Based on our plasma metabolomics profiling, concussion was predicted with up to 92‐95% certainty. Further mathematical analysis has identified several key predictive metabolite profiles leading to the potential development of point of care testing to diagnose concussed patients with unprecedented accuracy. A return to a normal metabolomic profile may serve as an aid in the rehabilitation of individuals affected by concussion, and guide return to pre‐injury daily activities.
Benefits
Accurate up to 92‑95%.
Relatively inexpensive.
Point of care potential.
Applications
Conclusive concussion diagnosis.
Prognostic potential.
Potential rehabilition aid.
Opportunity
Lawson Health Research Institute are searching for a diagnostic laboratory partner to license the technology.
For further details see:
Daley et al. 2016. Metabolomics profiling of concussion in adolescent make hockey players: a novel diagnostic method. Metabolomics. 12:185.
Manning et al. 2017. Multiparametric MRI changes persist beyond recovery in concussed adolescent hockey players. Neurology. 89(21):2157‑2166.
Seeking
Licensing
Commercial partner
Development partner
IP Status
US 15/560,056
CA 2,980,376
EP 16767575.0
CH 2016800290055.2
