The US Army has awarded a contract to BrainScope for the production of a miniature field-deployable system to enable rapid assessment of traumatic brain injury (TBI) symptoms in serving troops.
Under the terms of the $2.67m deal, the company will combine its proprietary Ahead M-100 system’s core technologies with currently used smartphone systems over the next two years to help ensure optimal recovery of soldiers.
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BrainScope president and CEO Michael Singer said the company would manufacture a miniaturised variant of its handheld device on a readily available computing platform for the army.
"We understand the significant need for a rapidly-applied assessment capability with results displayed in minutes so that first responders can make vital triage decisions," Singer said.
Ahead M-100 is a handheld, non-invasive medical device currently under development to help first responders deal with injured soldiers by enabling quick evaluation and categorisation of brain injury, based on patterns identified in the organ’s electrical activity.
Capable of detecting even milder forms of TBI, such as concussions, the non-radiation emitting tool is expected to be used as an alternative to standard clinical practice assessment in the US Military Health System for patients requiring immediate care.
BrainScope also received a $7.5m contract from the US Department of Defense (DoD) for ‘Assessment of Head Injury in the Emergency Department: Clinical Validation of the BrainScope Ahead Technology’ in December 2011.
The company had completed pre-investigational device exemption (pre-IDE) process to receive the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) concurrence on key design elements for clinical trial of the Ahead system in May 2011.
