Validation of a Point of Care Diagnostic Test for Sports Related Concussion

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) resulting from sports related concussion (SRC) is a substantial public health concern with ~ 1.6 – 3.8 million injuries per year in the United States. Although extremes of head injury are recognizable, mild TBI associated with SRC is more difficult to diagnose and is complicated by subtle physical, cognitive, and emotional symptoms that may manifest up to 48 h following a concussive blow. In preliminary studies using a rat model of mTBI and in a small clinical trial of patients with mTBI due to motor vehicle accidents we identified a novel marker of neuronal injury, visinin like protein 1 (VILIP-1) that is released into blood rapidly after injury. To facilitate rapid measurement of circulating VILIP-1 we developed a combined lateral flow device (LFD) that provides detection of the biomarker in less than 20 min. The aim of the current proposal is determine if VILIP-1 levels can be used to identify athletes with SRC by establishing baseline levels of the marker and then quantifying any changes that occur following diagnosis of SRC.