MCIRCC Kicked Off Brain Injury Awareness Month with a TBI Grand Challenge
March is Brain Injury Awareness Month—and what better way is there to observe it than by empowering transformative research in traumatic brain injury (TBI)?
Each year, the Massey TBI Grand Challenge tasks translational researchers to pitch their best ideas for devices, diagnostics, and health IT solutions addressing the golden hours of TBI care. Supported by the Joyce and Don Massey Family Foundation, the Grand Challenge process includes two stages of proposal submissions culminating in the “Wolverine Den,” where select teams pitch their ideas live before a panel of experts.
To mark the official start of the 2021 TBI Grand Challenge, MCIRCC held a virtual kick-off event on March 9. The afternoon began with a keynote presentation from Dr. Ramon Diaz-Arrastia, Professor of Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and Director of the Clinical TBI Research Center at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. Dr. Diaz-Arrastia provided an in-depth overview of current techniques for monitoring TBI and discussed what clinicians should be looking for when treating this complex condition. His observations also highlighted how “the bulk of TBI research for the past 10-15 years has been centered on invasive monitoring.” Many of the past and current Grand Challenge-supported projects are focused on advancing non-invasive treatments.
Presenting after Dr. Diaz-Arrastia was Dr. Anke Scultetus, Director of the Brain Trauma Neuroprotection Branch at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience (CMPN). Her analysis of the effects of aeromedical transport on TBI patients provided attendees with a different perspective from the ground-based ICUs that many were familiar with. She discussed the common stressors of flight, such as vibration and oxygen, and presented a study her team performed in order to better understand how these stressors might affect patients while en route to treatment.
After a short break, attendees listened to a personal account of TBI survivorship through former Michigan Medicine patient Andrew Gasperich and his wife, Emily Bush. Andrew had suffered a TBI after falling from his motorcycle and underwent multiple surgeries, including the temporary removal of a part of his skull, before making a remarkable recovery. The neurointensivist who treated Andrew, Dr. Venkatakrishna Rajajee, accompanied Andrew’s story with a clinical perspective of the case. Alongside the valuable insight attendees gleaned from both patient and physician, Andrew and Emily’s presence at the conference served as an all-too important reminder of how their research can have real impact on patients and their families.
The event came to a close with two final presentations from MCIRCC. Associate Director Dr. Rodney Daniels explained the Grand Challenge process and provided expert advice to competition-hopefuls on how to best tailor their proposals. He was followed by Dr. Joseph Wider who presented on his team’s 2020 Grand Challenge-winning research into restoring mitochondrial function after an acute brain injury. Both presentations gave attendees a crucial insider look at the competition that will inform their work moving forward.
The kick-off wrapped up at 4 PM, and the TBI Grand Challenge moved into its second phase with a call for two-page proposals. Teams will have until April 5 to submit their proposals. Other upcoming Grand Challenge deadlines are as follows:
April 5: 2-page Proposals Due via Competition Space
April 26: Select Teams Invited to Submit 10-page Proposals
May 24: 10-page Proposals Due
June 4: Pitch Day/Wolverine Den