Neural Analytics Awarded Grant to Monitor TBI Intracranial Pressure

Neural Analytics, a developer of devices and services to diagnose, monitor, and triage a number of neurological conditions, has been awarded a $743,756 National Science Foundation grant for its Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project to monitor intracranial pressure and improve the management of severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Increased intracranial pressure after a TBI is especially dangerous because as pressure elevates it can cause further brain damage leading to long-term disability and if untreated may lead to death. When detected early, medications and other interventions can be administered to prevent rising pressure.

“We are honored to receive this National Science Foundation grant, which will enable us to continue our promising research as we develop a novel intracranial pressure monitoring method,” said Leo Petrossian Ph.D., co-founder and CEO of Neural Analytics. “Neural Analytics is dedicated to creating the accurate methods and tools needed to detect and treat the millions of patients in the U.S. and worldwide who will experience a traumatic brain injury each year.”

Neural Analytics’ project is titled SBIP II: A Novel Non-Invasive Intracranial Pressure Monitoring Method. It focuses on developing an accurate, affordable and non-invasive monitoring device to measure intracranial pressure following a TBI. The proposed medical device will precisely measure a patient’s intracranial pressure utilizing ultrasound procedures by monitoring blood flow velocity. Using data analytics, subtle variations within the vascular measurements are used to enable precise monitoring while also allowing for the estimation of intracranial pressure changes.

The resulting non-invasive device will be able to be used outside the intensive care unit with monitoring costing less than $100 per use. The Phase II project began this month and is expected to continue over the next two years.

Current monitoring techniques require surgery and are expensive with an estimated cost of more than $10,000 per patient. There is a critical and immediate need for an accurate screening technique for patients to help eliminate misdiagnosis as well as incorrect treatments and surgery. It is estimated a monitoring device of this type will result in $250 million in savings each year the to the U.S. healthcare system.