Cilia-based blood test to detect and predict recovery after brain injury
Official title: Cilia Biomarker Kit Development for Brain Injury Diagnosis and Prognosis.
Funded at Cian, INC. · NIH-11179374 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A blood test that combines cilia-related vascular proteins with known brain markers to help adults with traumatic brain injury detect injury and predict recovery.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Cian, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pewaukee, United States) |
| Project start | August 29, 2024 |
| Project end | July 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $313,738 |
| NIH project number | 5R41NS139906-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11179374 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults (21+) with suspected or confirmed traumatic brain injury, particularly those presenting to emergency departments or clinics, would be the main candidates.
✕Less likely to help
Children under 21, people with non-traumatic neurologic conditions, or those long after the injury event may not benefit from this specific test.
What this research studies
If I had a head injury, researchers would use a blood sample to look for proteins from tiny hair-like structures (cilia) on blood vessel cells along with established brain proteins. The company is developing a kit that measures these ciliary and neuronal/glial markers to better indicate the extent of injury and likely recovery. Blood samples would likely come from adults seen in emergency departments or follow-up clinics after mild to severe TBI. This builds on FDA-approved markers (GFAP and UCH-L1) but adds vascular cilia signals that may improve outcome predictions.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could give more accurate prognosis after traumatic brain injury, helping doctors decide on scans, treatments, and follow-up care.
How similar studies have gone: Blood markers like GFAP and UCH-L1 are already used clinically for triage, but using cilia-derived vascular markers is a new approach with preliminary lab support and limited patient-level evidence so far.
Where this research is happening
-
Cian, INC.
Pewaukee, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ramchandran, Ramani — Cian, INC.
- Study coordinator: Ramchandran, Ramani
Related research
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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.