Keeping the brain better oxygenated after severe head injury
Official title: Brain Oxygen Optimization in Severe Traumatic Brain Injury - Phase 3 (BOOST-3)
Funded at University of Michigan at Ann Arbor · NIH-11471592 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This trial compares using a small brain oxygen sensor plus targeted treatments to standard ICU care for people with severe traumatic brain injury to reduce low brain oxygen and help recovery.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Michigan at Ann Arbor NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Ann Arbor, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2018 |
| Project end | February 28, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $75,000 |
| NIH project number | 3U01NS099046-06S2 |
| Project ID | NIH-11471592 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults with severe traumatic brain injury (prolonged traumatic coma) who require ICU care and invasive brain monitoring soon after injury.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with mild head injuries, those who are not eligible for invasive brain monitoring, or those too unstable for the procedure are unlikely to benefit from this protocol.
What this research studies
If you or a loved one has a severe traumatic brain injury and is in the ICU, doctors would place a small sensor to measure oxygen in the brain and follow a treatment plan when oxygen is low. Patients are randomly assigned to receive brain-oxygen-guided care in addition to standard intracranial pressure monitoring or to receive standard care alone. The team will use specific steps to raise brain oxygen when the sensor indicates hypoxia and will track safety and functional recovery over time. This Phase 3 randomized trial builds on earlier BOOST work that showed large reductions in brain hypoxia when care was guided by the oxygen sensor.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could reduce dangerous low-oxygen episodes in the brain and improve long-term functional recovery after severe TBI.
How similar studies have gone: A prior Phase 2 BOOST trial reduced brain hypoxia by 74% and showed a trend toward better outcomes, but BOOST-3 is designed to confirm whether clinical recovery is improved.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Silbergleit, Robert — University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
- Study coordinator: Silbergleit, Robert
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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.