# A Blood Test for Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Concussion in Children and Youth - Changing the Management Paradigm

> **NIH NIH R01** · ORLANDO REGIONAL HEALTHCARE SYSTEM, INC. · 2021 · $706,970

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
PROJECT SUMMARY
These are exciting times as a blood test for traumatic brain injury is on the horizon. This R01 competitive
renewal is a large scale validation study that will extend the work we have done on serum biomarkers in adults
to children and youth, previously understudied groups. This proposal will systematically validate the diagnostic
and prognostic ability of well-studied serum protein biomarkers and promising microRNA serum biomarkers in
children and youth with mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) and concussion. The biomarkers being proposed
here have been studied in adults in data published by our group. Moreover, we will be examining promising
microRNA biomarkers that we have evaluated in recently published pilot work. Patients will be enrolled from
the emergency departments of adult and pediatric Level 1 Trauma Centers. Our first aim is will assess the
brain-specificity of candidate biomarkers in determining presence of MTBI/concussion versus other traumatic
injuries and head trauma without symptoms, as well as determining baseline levels by age and gender in
uninjured children and youth. Being able to distinguish someone with and without a concussion would be so
helpful, especially in children who cannot talk yet or with conditions such as autism spectrum disorders who
cannot express themselves. Our second aim will assess the diagnostic performance of candidate biomarkers
in detecting critical injuries such as intracranial lesions on CT scan and acute neurological complications and
will compare biomarker performance to validated clinical decision rules. This could potentially help reduce the
number of CT scans done on children and reduce their exposure to ionizing radiation. Our third and final aim
will assess the prognostic utility of serially measured biomarkers over six months in determining impairment or
problems functioning. It will also help us understand the pattern of biomarker release over time in children and
youth as it relates to recovery from injury. The goal of this research is to improve the clinical care of children
and youth with MTBI and concussion by early recognition of injury and clinically validating a panel of blood-
based markers (blood test) that could be used by clinicians in the acute, subacute, and chronic phases of injury
to determine the need for diagnostic imaging (CT or MRI), acute neurological complications, specialized
rehabilitation, or long-term risk for neurocognitive impairment. Ultimately, we hope the results of the proposal
will change clinical practice by providing medical professional with more sensitive tools to detect brain injury
and help patients and their families better understand their injury and recovery.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10187657
- **Project number:** 5R01NS057676-09
- **Recipient organization:** ORLANDO REGIONAL HEALTHCARE SYSTEM, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** LINDA PAPA
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $706,970
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2008-09-30 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10187657

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10187657, A Blood Test for Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Concussion in Children and Youth - Changing the Management Paradigm (5R01NS057676-09). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10187657. Licensed CC0.

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