Authority Client Receives $5M from Army for Brain Injury Device

Wednesday, Sep 30, 2009

From Arkanas Business Online (arkansasbusiness.com)

NWA Firm Receives $5M from Army for Brain Injury Device
By Arkansas Business Staff

SFC Fluidics, LLC, has received a $5 million federal contract for development of a hand-held device for rapid diagnosis of traumatic brain injury.

More than 1.5 million Americans suffer head injuries each year, and traumatic brain injury (TBI) has become a signature injury for American troops serving in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The device is scheduled to begin clinical trials for FDA approval in the summer of 2013. The contract is with the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program for the U.S. Army.

"With a suspected brain injury, every second counts," said Dr. Chris Evans, vice president of the Fayetteville firm. "We are developing a first-of-its-kind 'lab on a chip' as well as associated handheld instrumentation to revolutionize the way military and civilian medics diagnose and treat traumatic brain injury."

Using only a pinprick sample of blood similar to a blood glucose test for diabetes, the device conducts rapid, detailed blood analysis within a single sealed, disposable chip. Quantitative levels of specific biomarkers released by the brain when injured will be displayed on an easy-to-read screen, along with an indicator alerting the operator to the degree of injury - none, mild, moderate or severe.

The device can be used by first responders without any specific training or medical expertise, and the information will assist caregivers in quickly choosing the proper course of action for the patient in combat situations, at the scene of an accident, in an emergency room or at a sporting event.

The device and chip also will provide real-time information about the effectiveness of intervention strategies with successful treatments resulting in a return of biomarker indicators to normal levels.

Unlike neurological tests and computed tomography (CT) scans, SFC Fluidics' TBI diagnostic device will require no training, be portable and will provide first responders with an objective and quantitative measure of the degree of TBI wherever brain injuries occur.

Additionally, the ability to obtain biomarker profiles in real-time will provide researchers and the medical community with new insight into the dynamic nature of TBI and may allow for the development of improved intervention and clinical management strategies.