University breakthrough to tackle concussion in rugby union
The top rugby union teams in the country will trial a ground-breaking pitch-side test this season to diagnose concussion and brain injury that has been created by the University of Birmingham.
There have been a number of high-profile incidents of head injuries in recent seasons, most prominently in the 2015 Six Nations when Welsh international George North was potentially concussed twice in the same match but allowed to return to the pitch.
Rugby players from Aviva Premiership Rugby and Greene King IPA Championship are to take part in the study which will run throughout this season.
Dr Simon Kemp, chief medical officer at the Rugby Football Union, said: “There is currently no reliable or proven biomarker or objective test for the diagnosis of concussion and this lack of objectivity is the biggest challenge facing medical professionals in dealing with this type of injury.”
The team at the University’s College of Medical and Dental Sciences, led by neurosurgeon Prof Tony Belli, has spent the last nine years carrying out research which has led to the development of a test that measures biomarkers present in the saliva and urine of players. The test, if validated, could be done on a hand-held device, which is currently under development.
Prof Belli said: “Early and accurate diagnosis of concussion is one of the biggest challenges we face clinically and is particularly a major concern in the sporting world.
“The University of Birmingham recently made a significant breakthrough after identifying molecules, which can be found in saliva and act as biomarkers to indicate whether the brain has suffered injury.”
The study will examine whether the biomarkers are reliable and, if so, the ambition is to have a device available within two years that will instantaneously diagnose concussion on the pitchside with the same accuracy as in the laboratory.
A device could have wider use, including by frontline medics in the NHS and military to improve diagnosis and treatment within the first critical hour after brain trauma.
