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How an app may predict brain injury

In the not-too-distant future, it may just be possible to use an app that can diagnose whether a knock in the head could have long-term health consequences.

A collaborative project at the Auckland Bioengineering Institute (ABI), consisting of bioengineers, neurosurgeons, neuroscientist, psychologists and MRI specialists, is aiming for just that.

As reported, the team aims to do a longitudinal study involving professional rugby players, who will wear thumbnail-sized sensors that will measure the acceleration of sudden force to the head.

Background of the study

With the use of an MRI machine, they will track the structural changes resulting from that impact over time.

The information will be used to create a high fidelity computational model of the brain and cell mechanical devices, how it has been damaged as a result of a mechanical insult, right down to the cellular level.

This will be the most accurate way to determine whether a certain head impact has the potential to lead to long-term damage.

The Problem

Current diagnosis of mild, moderate or severe brain injuries is usually dependent on a questionnaire, but this is an imperfect way of diagnosing the effect of a brain injury because it is very subjective.

A lot of players do not want to reveal the extent of an injury because that might prevent them from playing.

That lack of accurate diagnostics, biomarkers, and outcome measures of brain injury can have a devastating impact on a person’s life.

A lot of mild traumatic brain injuries do not have any symptoms.

People who have suffered a knock to the head might feel fine after a few weeks but may have incurred damage that can have consequences manifesting much later in life.

These consequences may lead to early onset Alzheimer’s disease, depression, and other health problems.

Project plans

The team is currently working with scientists who developed an eye-tracking method that can assess the impact of a brain injury through changes in eye movement.

They are planning to use that method in an app in order to identify if an injury is mild, moderate or severe, quickly, easily and objectively.

Even a mild head injury should be taken seriously. A lot of young players do not realise the seriousness of head impact.

The app will be able to inform the user quickly if they should stop playing for a while and go see a doctor.

Like all research, how quickly they can develop the App will depend on getting funding. But once accomplished, it will be possible to develop it within a few years, particularly since the team is made of good people who are all leaders in their own field.

A number of disciplines have come together to work on this, which is quite rare in this area.

The Future of Medical Tech

Dr Vickie Shim, who is leading the team, will be discussing the research at The Future of Medical Technology, which is a free public event.

Two other emerging scientists from the Institute will also be presenting. One will speak about his research into normal and abnormal electrical activity in the gut and the development of a device that allows for non-intrusive and quick diagnosis of gut problems.

The other will discuss the international project she is leading, which is to create a world-first virtual pregnancy.

This virtual model will be used to research blood vessels in the uterus, with the goal of improving diagnoses and treatment of problems like fetal growth restriction, which results in babies being born abnormally small.

PARTNER

Qlik’s vision is a data-literate world, where everyone can use data and analytics to improve decision-making and solve their most challenging problems. A private company, Qlik offers real-time data integration and analytics solutions, powered by Qlik Cloud, to close the gaps between data, insights and action. By transforming data into Active Intelligence, businesses can drive better decisions, improve revenue and profitability, and optimize customer relationships. Qlik serves more than 38,000 active customers in over 100 countries.

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CTC Global Singapore, a premier end-to-end IT solutions provider, is a fully owned subsidiary of ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation (CTC) and ITOCHU Corporation.

Since 1972, CTC has established itself as one of the country’s top IT solutions providers. With 50 years of experience, headed by an experienced management team and staffed by over 200 qualified IT professionals, we support organizations with integrated IT solutions expertise in Autonomous IT, Cyber Security, Digital Transformation, Enterprise Cloud Infrastructure, Workplace Modernization and Professional Services.

Well-known for our strengths in system integration and consultation, CTC Global proves to be the preferred IT outsourcing destination for organizations all over Singapore today.

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Planview has one mission: to build the future of connected work. Our solutions enable organizations to connect the business from ideas to impact, empowering companies to accelerate the achievement of what matters most. Planview’s full spectrum of Portfolio Management and Work Management solutions creates an organizational focus on the strategic outcomes that matter and empowers teams to deliver their best work, no matter how they work. The comprehensive Planview platform and enterprise success model enables customers to deliver innovative, competitive products, services, and customer experiences. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, with locations around the world, Planview has more than 1,300 employees supporting 4,500 customers and 2.6 million users worldwide. For more information, visit www.planview.com.

SUPPORTING ORGANISATION

SIRIM is a premier industrial research and technology organisation in Malaysia, wholly-owned by the Minister​ of Finance Incorporated. With over forty years of experience and expertise, SIRIM is mandated as the machinery for research and technology development, and the national champion of quality. SIRIM has always played a major role in the development of the country’s private sector. By tapping into our expertise and knowledge base, we focus on developing new technologies and improvements in the manufacturing, technology and services sectors. We nurture Small Medium Enterprises (SME) growth with solutions for technology penetration and upgrading, making it an ideal technology partner for SMEs.

PARTNER

HashiCorp provides infrastructure automation software for multi-cloud environments, enabling enterprises to unlock a common cloud operating model to provision, secure, connect, and run any application on any infrastructure. HashiCorp tools allow organizations to deliver applications faster by helping enterprises transition from manual processes and ITIL practices to self-service automation and DevOps practices. 

PARTNER

IBM is a leading global hybrid cloud and AI, and business services provider. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. Nearly 3,000 government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM’s hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM’s breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and business services deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM’s legendary commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service.

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