GFAP and UCH-L1 serum levels in the assessment of mTBI
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP) and Ubiquitin Carboxyl-terminal Hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1) biomarkers used in the assessment of patients with mild traumatic brain injury, in the local population at RCHT.
IRAS ID
328734
Contact name
Hannah Turner
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 2 months, 26 days
Research summary
In the UK there are 1.4 million people that to go to the Emergency department for head injuries per year. Most head injuries are mild and do not require treatment. When assessing patients with head injuries they consider how hard they hit their head, the injury appearance (fractures or bruising) and how well the patient is (feeling sick/memory loss). All are checked by a doctor, and they may require a CT scan. A head CT scan takes time and uses resources that are limited.
There are blood tests that can be performed which can detect damage from the brain, which we call a Biomarker. The biomarkers being studied for the detection of traumatic brain injury (TBI) are GFAP (Glial fibrillary acidic protein) and UCH-L1 (Ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase L1). Both proteins are found in different cells in the brain, astrocytes, and neurones and both get released from these cells when there is damage.
Testing for these proteins can let doctors know if there is damage to the brain. If biomarker levels are low, the doctors can confidently discharge the patient, knowing that there are no signs of damage to the brain. Measuring these biomarkers will reduce the number of patients needing head scans, which can reduce pressure on our NHS emergency departments, and means less time spent in hospital for patients with mild head injuries.
For this project we want to check these biomarkers in patients with head injuries. A blood sample will be used to test the biomarker level and the results will be compared to CT scan results. There will be two groups: CT positive (with injury to the brain) and CT negative (no signs of brain injury). This will tell us if these biomarkers can predict any brain injury.REC name
London - Surrey Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/PR/1336
Date of REC Opinion
22 Nov 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion