Last week it was announced that a Bethesda technology company received an award of $500, 000 from the National Football League and General Electric as an aid to further develop and research their portable concussion-assessment system.
BrainScope was chosen among 5 other finalists to receive a grant from the NFL and GE in an attempt to reduce traumatic brain injury in sport. This comes following a class-action lawsuit settlement against the NFL that was approved earlier this year, worth $765 million in compensation to former players who have suffered some form of brain injury in relation to their time in the game.
“We are looking for a way of making innovation happen faster,” said Alan Gilbert, a director of health policy and community strategy at GE, according to Washington Post. “A company like BrainScope illustrates that goal. It’s a combination of a simple device [an electroencephalogram] that’s been around forever, disposable electrodes, but powerful analytics that drive quick decisions to manage patient care. That is pretty transformative in this space.”
The other five finalists that received grants are Banyan Biomakers of San Diego, the Medical College of Wisconsin, Quanterix of Lexington and the University of Montana.
BrainScope builds a handheld device called the Ahead 200 that uses Google’s Android technology. In simple terms, its function is to read the electrical signals travelling through the brain to determine whether there is a form of injury or not.
The funding was granted in an aim to reduce the prevalence of concussion related injuries in the NFL and to reduce the risk of long-term brain damage.
“This award allows us to fund further development studies,” said BrainScope chief executive Michael Singer, according to Washington Post. “It allows us to develop this technology, which could be fielded in a whole array of venues, starting in high schools, colleges and ultimately in professional sports leagues.”
Traumatic brain injury, not only in the NFL but in many sports, has been cause for great discussion on whether there is anything the league can do to perhaps make the game safer. While modifying rules would be a monumental risk, technology boasts an alternative that can monitor and prevent injury to a high degree.
Outside of sport, BrainScope has also received funding in an attempt to provide their technology to the military to better assess brain injury.
While the public has only recently come to realise, the brain injury is not always initially visible. It has only been in recent years that former players have come forward to reveal that the damages may affect players long-term as well. Outside the NFL, other contact sports, most notably Rugby, have also experienced similar circumstances with former players seeking compensation.
It is in light of these circumstances that we can say the NFL, GE and BrainScope are all making inroads on what it takes to minimize the risk of injury in sport, which can benefit all sports and their players around the world.