NEW YORK — Quadrant Biosciences said on Monday that it has received a $2.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop its saliva-based microRNA diagnostic test for concussions in children and adolescents.
Syracuse, New York-based Quadrant has been working with researchers from Penn State University and SUNY Upstate Medical University on saliva-based biomarkers of various neurological conditions. In 2018, they published data linking saliva concentrations of multiple miRNAs with concussion duration and symptoms in children.
With the newly awarded Fast-Track Phase I/II Small Business Technology Transfer grant, Quadrant aims to develop a rapid method for quantifying these biomarkers for potential point-of-care use. It also plans to validate a diagnostic algorithm designed to distinguish mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) from medical conditions with overlapping symptoms, such as chronic headaches and exercise-related fatigue.
The research will be conducted in a study of 2,500 adolescents and young adults with either a formal diagnosis of an mTBI or an overlapping medical condition, in collaboration with SUNY Upstate, SUNY Buffalo, Arkansas Children's, Children's Hospital of Michigan, and Penn State Medical Centers.