Breakthrough a timely test for head injuries Jordan Lewis waves to the crowd after being knocked out in a collision with Jarrod Harbrow. AMERICAN researchers are developing a hand-held blood diagnostic machine that will allow medical staff to assess within minutes whether an athlete has suffered concussion or a sub-concussive injury. A prototype of the machine, which requires a pin-prick of blood, has been produced in the US but will not be available or approved until clinical tests are completed over the new few years. Professor Roger Sabbadini said the machine, which would be similar to a glucose-testing kit for diabetics, could also be used in conjunction with a urine test. "The idea is that if you can diagnose those things on the sidelines at a game, such as Aussie Rules ... you can intervene and do something about it and mitigate it," Sabbadini said last night. What we are doing is a rapid point-of-care diagnostic. Researchers have discovered a brain-damage marker in the bloodstream that will help doctors diagnose and treat concussion. Elevated protein levels in the bloodstream can reveal whether a player has suffered concussions. Sabbadini said the biomarker - cerebrospinal fluid - was present in the brain of traumatic brain injury patients. He said the testing could also be used on road accident victims and military people subjected to bomb blasts in the battlefield. We are developing a diagnostic for early detection of traumatic brain injury. The diagnostic test is based on an antibody, which has been developed in the laboratory. The antibody isn't only the basis for detecting the analysed biomarker, but is also a potential therapeutic. The dream is to have a pairing between a diagnostic and therapeutic. Sabbadini said the testing would help club medical staff operating on the sidelines to make a decision regarding whether the player was injured and if he should go back on to the field or needed urgent medical treatment.