A Trojan Horse for Diagnosing Traumatic Brain Injury?

Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine are using positron emission tomography (PET) scans to identify traumatic brain injury (TBI). Researchers attached a compound similar to radioactive tracers to the surface of neutrophils, white blood cells that aid in the body’s immune response to injury. The compound travels with the cells to the injury site, allowing brain injury to be identified on a PET scan in what researchers consider a Trojan horse approach. “Neutrophils identify early inflammation in TBI, which could one day allow researchers to identify patients that might benefit from therapies targeting TBI-related inflammation,” says a researcher. Click here to read the full article on this study.