Page 9 - HOSPITAAL

A28 SCIENCE
Thursday 15 February 2018
First blood test to help diagnose brain injuries gets U.S. OK

By LINDSEY TANNER tor of the National Institute
CHICAGO (AP) — The first of Neurological Disorders
blood test to help doctors and Stroke, and other brain
diagnose traumatic brain injury experts say the test
injuries has won U.S. gov- isn't sensitive enough to rule
ernment approval. out concussions.
The move means Banyan "This may be a beginning.
Biomarkers can commer- It's not the pot of gold at
cialize its test, giving the the end of the rainbow,"
company an early lead in Koroshetz said.
the biotech industry's race That prize would be a test
to find a way to diagnose that could detect and
concussions. guide treatment for con-
The test doesn't detect cussions and traumatic
concussions and the ap- brain injuries, similar to a
proval won't immediately blood test that hospitals
change how patients with commonly use to evaluate
suspected concussions suspected heart attacks,
or other brain trauma are Koroshetz said.
treated. But Wednesday's "That's what we'd like to
green light by the Food have for the brain," he said.
and Drug Administration "is San Diego-based Banyan
a big deal because then has partnered with Abbott
it opens the door and ac- and French firm bioMerieux
celerates technology," said Product development scientist Veronika Shevchenko works with patient samples at Banyan Bio- SA to market the test to
Michael McCrea, a brain markers Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018, in San Diego. hospitals using those com-
injury expert at Medical Associated Press panies' blood analyzing
College of Wisconsin. machines.
The test detects two pro- emergency rooms, possibly fect an estimated 10 million scans. It also shows that ab- Other companies are de-
teins present in brain cells as soon as later this year, people globally each year; sence of the two proteins in veloping similar blood tests
that can leak into the but Banyan's hope is that at least 2 million of them are the test is a good indication to detect brain injuries.
bloodstream following a it will eventually be used treated in U.S. emergency that CT scans will be nor- BioDirection is developing
blow to the head. Banyan's on battlefields and football rooms. They often get CT mal. That means patients a test involving one of the
research shows the test can fields. scans to detect bleeding with negative blood tests proteins in Banyan's test
detect them up within 12 FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott or other abnormalities. The can avoid CT scans and plus another one and using
hours of injury. It's designed Gottlieb said the test fits scans expose patients to unnecessary radiation ex- a portable device that can
to help doctors quickly de- with the agency's goals for radiation, but in many pa- posure, said Dr. Jeffrey Ba- yield results from a single
termine which patients with delivering new technolo- tients with mild brain injuries zarian, a University of Roch- drop of blood in less than
suspected concussions gies to patients and reduc- including concussions, ab- ester emergency medicine two minutes.
may have brain bleeding ing unnecessary radiation normalities don't show up professor involved in Ban- Quanterix is also working
or other brain injury. exposure. on these imaging tests. yan's research. to develop a blood test
Patients with a positive test The test "sets the stage for With Department of De- Bazarian called the test "a to diagnose concussions
would need a CT scan to a more modernized stan- fense funding, Banyan's huge step" toward devising and other brain injuries.
confirm the results and de- dard of care for testing of research shows its Brain a blood test that can de- It has licensed the use of
termine if surgery or other suspected cases," Gottlieb Trauma Indicator can ac- tect brain injuries including both proteins in Banyan's
treatment is needed. The said in a statement. curately pick up brain concussions. test to be used with its own
test will first be used in Traumatic brain injuries af- trauma later found on CT Dr. Walter Koroshetz, direc- technology.q
Leaping elk crashes low-flying

research helicopter in Utah

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST collision that also killed the in a mountainous part of
Associated Press elk, authorities said Tues- eastern Utah, with its crew
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — An day. trying to drop a net on the
In this photo taken Monday, Feb. 12, 2018, and provided by the elk leaped into a research The elk jumped into the elk, said Jared Rigby of the
Wasatch County Sheriff's Office is a research helicopter that was helicopter that was trying chopper's tail rotor as the Wasatch County Sheriff's
brought down by a leaping elk in the mountains of eastern Utah. to capture it and brought aircraft flew about 10 feet Office.
Associated Press down the helicopter in a (3 meters) above ground The two people on board
weren't seriously hurt, but
the elk died of its injuries
Monday afternoon.
The state-contracted Tex-
as-based crew was trying
to capture and sedate the
elk and give it a tracking
collar to research its move-
ments in the area about 90
miles (145 kilometers) east
of Salt Lake City. q