General Electric, Fairfield, Conn, and the NFL have selected six finalists to receive awards under the Head Health Challenge I, part of a 4-year, $60 million collaboration that seeks to speed diagnosis and improve treatment for mild traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Recipients of $500,00 awards include Banyan Biomarkers Inc, San Diego; BrainScope Company Inc, Bethesda, Md; Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; Quanterix, Lexington, Mass; University of California, Santa Barbara; and University of Montana. This award is in addition to $300,000 previously awarded to the 16 first-round winners of the Head Health Challenge I.

“We are truly impressed by the quality of the work and the measurable progress being made by these winning organizations,” says Alan Gilbert, director of health policy, government, and community strategy for GE healthymagination. “There are a number of breakthrough ideas that are advancing our understanding of the brain and have applications not only on the playing field but also extend to neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s.”

Finalists were selected from an initial group of 16 challenge winners that were chosen from more than 400 entries from 27 countries, after having been reviewed and nominated by a panel of leading healthcare experts in brain research, imaging technologies, and advocates for advances in brain research.

“It’s exciting to witness the breakthroughs accomplished by the winners,” says Jeff Miller, NFL senior vice president of health and safety policy. “Their efforts will truly advance the science around brain injury. We look forward to continuing to support this work and benefiting not only football and other sports, but society more broadly.”

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Point-of-care blood test by Banyan Biomarkers.

One of the winners, Banyan Biomarkers, will use funds to continue development of a point-of-care blood test to rapidly detect the presence of mild and moderate brain trauma. Researchers from Banyan Biomarkers and the University of Florida are collaborating on a sports concussion study to analyze biomarkers, neurocognitive testing, and neuroimaging on student athletes. Banyan Biomarkers expects 20 blood-based markers for head injury will be added to the study in the coming year, helping to provide researchers a better understanding of the biochemical pathways that are triggered in the brain after a concussion and, ultimately, assist to develop treatments to improve clinical outcomes.

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Simoa single molecule array technology by Quanterix.

Meanwhile, Quanterix has developed a simple blood test to aid in the detection of traumatic brain injury. Using its Simoa technology, Quanterix is able to measure molecular signatures, or biomarkers, of brain injury in blood. The company is working to detect and quantify mild to moderate TBI almost immediately after the injury has taken place, which will help to predict better the long-term prognosis of individuals who have undergone acute and repetitive injuries. Quanterix’s goal is to provide a blood test that speeds the diagnosis of a concussion in a clinical setting and on the sidelines in a sports arena, thereby improving and accelerating treatment.

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Professor Sarjubhai Patel, PhD, University of Montana, and his research team is studying traumatic brain injuries and blood-based biomarkers.

Also, researchers at the University of Montana have identified blood-based biomarkers that indicate how the brain reacts following TBI. Research over the past year has demonstrated changes in specific plasma microRNAs in TBI patients over a period of several months. The identification and validation of these markers could help with diagnosis and assessing recovery after a head injury, as well as testing the effectiveness of new treatments for TBI.

The Head Health Initiative also includes a $40 million research and development program from the NFL and GE to evaluate and develop next-generation imaging technologies used to diagnose patients with early-stage TBI.

For more information, visit the challenge’s official page.