First hundred patients recruited to mTBI-Predict to understand complications of concussion

The study, led by University of Birmingham, set out to identify new ways to accurately predict whether concussion patients will develop long-term complications by analysing a range of biomarkers such as blood, saliva, mental health, vision, balance and sleep.

After receiving a pump-priming award of £4m from the Ministry of Defence, the team secured a contract of up to $15.5m from the US Department of Defense to develop novel prognostic biomarker algorithms for mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), otherwise known as concussion, in both military and civilian patients, a year ago, the study has reached a milestone by enrolling it’s first 100 participants. These participants will be studied for six, 12 and 24 months following their injury to look for longer term complications. The researchers will consider various methods to predict long term outcomes following mTBI and will report on effectiveness of each.

"Although we have a way to go, it’s exciting to reach this first milestone as it means that we are already on our way to learning more about how to approach concussion in an individualised way," explains Dr Lisa Hill, Associate Director of mTBI-Predict and Associate Professor in Translational Neuroscience, Department of Biomedical Science, University of Birmingham.

Lt. Col. James Mitchell, Associate Director of mTBI-Predict and Lead UK Military TBI Service, Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre, Stanford Hall, added that, “We are really excited at the progress being made in mTBI Predict. This project is a cornerstone of the Ministry of Defence’s TBI Research strategy and promises to advance the clinical care of patients by bringing suites of advanced technology into the clinic space for the first time.”

mTBI can be caused by physical impact to the head through accident, injury, sport, or even from shockwaves following blast exposure and has been declared a major global public health problem. Approximately 1.4 million hospital visits are due to head injury each year, in England and Wales alone. The mTBI Predict study is set to continue for a further six years.