Devices & Diagnostics, Startups

Hand-held concussion-screening device picks up $2.2 million; could launch this year

A portable, hand-held device that uses a drop of blood to screen athletes and military […]

A portable, hand-held device that uses a drop of blood to screen athletes and military personnel for concussions could soon be on the market if all goes well for an Arizona medical device startup.

That company is BioDirection Inc. and it’s just raised most of a $3 million round of private financing, according to a new U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing. On its LinkedIn page, the company says it’s looking for seed capital to finish the design and start production of its diagnostic device. CEO Brian McGlynn did not reply to a request for details.

The concept behind the company, as spelled out on BioDirection’s website, is a low-cost, portable test that could be used on-site to distinguish concussions, or mild brain injuries, from minor head injuries in about a minute. BioDirection says its device uses nanowire technology to screen a drop of blood for two protein biomarkers that may indicate brain injury.

The technology was developed by Dr. Charles Lieber at Harvard University and licensed from Nanosys Inc., a company that designs and builds advanced materials. According to its website, BioDirection expects to launch the product, called Tbit, this year if it can secure necessary regulatory clearance.

Rapid detection of brain injury has become a target for several technology companies, especially with the development of mobile and sensor capabilities. But a biomarker approach like BioDirection’s has gained a following in recent years, too (PDF). Today, computerized neuropsychological tests are widely used to assess damage from a blow to the head, but some critics have questioned the accuracy of these tests. CT scans, meanwhile, only assess structural damage, which may not be present in concussions. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least 1.7 million concussions occur each year.

BioDirection was incorporated in 2010 and is headquartered in Oro Valley, Arizona.

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