A few tissue samples provided by a brain bank in Boston enabled two University of Montana (UM) researchers to identify biomarkers caused by traumatic brain injuries (TBI) that closely matched their work with animals.
The recent UM discovery drew the attention of the National Football League and General Electric and secured a $300,000 grant award for research professors Sarj Patel and Tom Rau. The funds will help to fast-track improvements to the diagnoses and treatment of traumatic brain injury in athletes as well as members of the military. The NFL’s Head Health Challenge, discussed in a previous Swope, Rodante, Newsome & Steinberg blog, announced the award late in January. The NFL also renewed its commitment of additional funding for research that continues to show promise. Patel said:
“It’s surprising but exciting. It’s a little different from the kinds of grants we’re used to applying for. GE and the NFL want to advance both treatment and diagnosis, and understand how TBI [traumatic brain injury] affects the brain. They’re looking for new and exciting science.”
UM Researchers’ Recognition of Blood Biomarkers Wins Funds, Shows Promise for Treating Traumatic Brain Injury
Patel and Rau focused on brain samples provided by Boston University to identify biomarkers that were similar to those they’d witnessed in some of their previous research on animals. Earlier findings revealed that traumatic brain injury changes how the brain operates. More importantly, Patel said, it also changes the level of certain proteins and ribonucleic acids, or RNAs, present in the brain after injury. Patel explained:
“We’re interested in how certain proteins are changing their expression in the brain following TBI. It’s a signature that says something has happened.”
Whether these changes persist over time or can be reversed remains to be seen. Following a mild to moderate traumatic brain injury (commonly referred to as a concussion), behavioral changes and cognitive deficits generally disappear. This has caused traumatic brain injury researchers to contemplate whether long-term changes linger, and if they do, might they be detectable in blood samples.
“We will collect blood samples from people who have suffered from a traumatic brain injury to see if we can detect these molecules and ultimately determine how long it might take for them to return to play or service,” added Patel.
Patel and Rau are part of a collaborative agreement with St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula (MO) to collect and organize blood samples from emergency room patients for their study. The pair has also asked the Department of Athletics at UM to consider its student athletes for direct participation in the research.
The current research project began with a small pilot grant from Main Hall. That early work helped Patel and Rau to secure additional funding from the Montana Neuroscience Institute as well as the Montana Board of Commercialization and Technology.
Rau made it a point to note their big leap forward manifested when biomarkers they discovered in human brain samples turned out to be very close matches to those found in their earlier experiments and studies with laboratory animals. Rau said:
“That’s part of what got us the award. We are far enough along with animals and with humans that we could convince them this was a worthwhile venture.”
NFL’s Head Health Challenge Serving as Springboard for Advancements in Traumatic Brain Injury Research
Last year, just before the start of the 2013-14 season, the NFL launched its first ever Head Health Challenge this year in partnership with major sponsors General Electric and Under Armour. Officials announced that the initiative will include joint efforts to commit up to $40 million for research and development of technologies to improve concussion diagnosis and treatment. The effort is aimed at benefiting athletes across all sports, as well as military personnel and others who sustain concussions.
In the final days leading up to the league’s opening kickoffs of Week 1, the NFL announced its opening stages of the plan to dedicate a minimum of $10 million to the incentive program. Funds were to be awarded in the form of grants aimed at researching and developing new shock absorbing materials and other devices to better protect players from concussions, as well as furthering scientific research geared toward learning more about the complexities of brain injuries.
The NFL’s brain injury research program has so far evaluated and selected projects from biotech companies and research institutions, including UM, Johns Hopkins Medical School and the University of California.
The incentive based program has received well over 400 research-based entries 400 from companies and organizations based out of 27 different countries from across the globe. Applications have been under constant review and evaluation by an official panel comprised of accomplished industry experts in the fields of brain injuries, neurological research, imaging technologies, as well as advocates for progress in brain injury research.
Researchers and Officials Optimistic about Potential Rapid Advances in Concussion Research
As of late January, a total of 16 teams were selected for the award. Each team received a grant for $300,000 each. The next round of evaluations will reduce the body of 16 teams down to six. The six entities that make the next cut will all be in the running for additional funding above and beyond the $300,000 award. UM President Royce Engstrom expressed his appreciation for the program and said:
“We haven’t received many grants from the NFL in the past. It’s pretty neat to be selected as one of 16 schools in the country. That whole area of brain injury research and outreach is a dynamic one that’s growing for us really rapidly.”
UM officials have asked the Montana Board of Regents to approve funding for a new neuro-injury center in the College of Health Professionals and Biomedical Sciences, where Patel and Rau currently conduct their research. The board is expected to review and facilitate the request at its March meeting, given the recent successes of Patel’s and Rau’s efforts. Richard Bridges, Chair of the Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, expressed praise over the team’s success by saying:
“The award highlights the talent of our young investigators. It points to how we’ve been building momentum and critical mass in the study of traumatic brain injury and neuroscience.”
Patel says the new grant will help drive their research forward and he added:
“It allows us to continue studying the underlying mechanisms that cause changes in the proteins and molecules we’re studying. It gives us insight into possible intervention, where we may be able to target therapies.”
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