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Clinician-scientists hope to expand the use of blood-based biomarker tests for traumatic brain injury (TBI) to improve identification and escalation of care for patients whose diagnosis otherwise might be missed.

In a study published in the Journal of Neurosurgery, a multi-institutional research team led by University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine neurosurgery clinician-scientists reports clinical cutoffs for two brain-associated proteins detected in the blood after brain injury that may help better identify and triage patients with TBI.

Approximately 2.8 million people experience a TBI each year in the U.S., with significant mortality, morbidity and long-term disability. "There are amazingly poor long-term outcome rates for people with a TBI who get seen in the emergency department," said Shawn Eagle, Ph.D., assistant professor in Pitt's Department of Neurological Surgery and lead author of the study.

Pitt's Neurotrauma Clinical Trials Center (NCTC) team collects data and biospecimens from patients with TBI presenting at the emergency department (ED) for TRACK-TBI, a multicenter, longitudinal study.

The NCTC, led by David Okonkwo, M.D., Ph.D., professor of neurological surgery at Pitt and director of neurotrauma at UPMC, and Ava Puccio, R.N., Ph.D., associate professor of neurological surgery at Pitt, serves as the primary biorepository for the study, which aims to provide physicians with tools to diagnose brain injuries and better support their patients.

Previous findings from TRACK-TBI show that over 50% of participants with a mild brain injury have functional limitations at one year.

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