Blood tests to track how a traumatic brain injury changes over time
Analytical characterization and validation of blood-biomarkers for monitoring TBI evolution
This project compares seven blood protein tests to find reliable ways to track recovery after a traumatic brain injury in children and adults.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11166527 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
A team from the International Initiative on Traumatic Brain Injury Research will re-test stored blood samples from more than 80 hospitals worldwide to measure seven brain-related proteins (UCH-L1, GFAP, NfL, Tau, BD Tau, pTau-181, pTau-231). They will study how small differences in blood collection and laboratory methods change results, and work to standardize procedures across labs. The project focuses on using these markers to follow how TBI evolves over days to months after injury in both children and adults. By creating common cut-offs and reference ranges in a multi-center effort, they aim to help these tests move into routine clinical use.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are children and adults who recently had an acute traumatic brain injury and whose blood was collected through participating hospitals or TBI research programs.
Not a fit: People without a recent traumatic brain injury, those with non-traumatic neurological conditions, or those whose injuries occurred long ago are unlikely to get direct benefit from these monitoring tests.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could give doctors dependable blood tests to follow brain injury recovery, guide care decisions, and compare results across hospitals.
How similar studies have performed: Previous research has shown promise for some individual biomarkers like GFAP and UCH-L1 for diagnosing TBI, but broad cross-platform validation and longitudinal monitoring across large international cohorts remains largely unproven.
Where this research is happening
Pittsburgh, United States
- University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh — Pittsburgh, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Puccio, Ava M. — University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
- Study coordinator: Puccio, Ava M.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.