Predicting TBI-Related Brain and Eye Pathology with Blood and Retina Biomarkers
Official title: BCCMA: Predicting TBI Pathology with Visual and Blood-based Biomarkers
Funded at Veterans Affairs Med Ctr San Francisco · NIH-11620608 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A multi-site study aims to find biomarkers in blood and the retina that forecast long-term brain damage after traumatic brain injury, using both animal models and human samples.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Veterans Affairs Med Ctr San Francisco NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project start | October 1, 2023 |
| Project end | September 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2027 |
| NIH project number | 5I01BX005871-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11620608 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates include individuals with a history of traumatic brain injury and Veterans who can contribute blood samples, imaging data, and cognitive assessments.
✕Less likely to help
People without a history of TBI or those unable to provide samples or participate in imaging or cognitive testing may not benefit.
What this research studies
This project looks for signals in blood and the eye that can indicate lasting brain injury after TBI. Researchers will compare retinal changes, blood proteins, brain imaging, and cognitive outcomes across different TBI types, including blast and impact injuries. They will progress from discovering candidate biomarkers to validating them across labs and human samples, and finally use tissue modeling to understand how these markers relate to brain and retinal damage. The work involves animal studies and human samples from Veterans to test how well these biomarkers predict neurodegeneration over time. A data-driven phase will integrate findings to map how retinal and brain injuries correspond to biomarker patterns.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could enable earlier and less invasive monitoring of brain injury progression and guide personalized care for TBI patients.
How similar studies have gone: Prior studies have shown that retinal changes and certain blood biomarkers can relate to brain injury, but comprehensive cross-site validation across humans and animals is still emerging.
Where this research is happening
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Veterans Affairs Med Ctr San Francisco
San Francisco, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ferguson, Adam R — Veterans Affairs Med Ctr San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Ferguson, Adam R
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.