Spit test could help better concussion diagnoses, Ontario startup says

A caller institution based astatine the University of Waterloo’s startup incubator has developed a mode to trial for concussions utilizing saliva.

The tests are the brainchild of HeadFirst, whose squad includes CEO and co-founder Andrew Cordssen-David — a erstwhile Quebec inferior hockey player.

Born successful Montreal, Cordssen-David grew up southbound of the borderline playing hockey earlier helium headed to the QMJHL for a fewer years.

Standing six feet 5 inches tall, Cordssen-David said his size forced him to play a much intimidating relation erstwhile helium suited up for assorted teams successful Quebec. His carnal play resulted successful plentifulness of concussions, allowing him to get utilized to the investigating system.

“That was a portion of my game, racking up punishment minutes, hits and fights and things similar that,” Cordssen-David told Global News.

“So I got exposed to a batch of the sideline concussion tests that existed from a young age.”

After his inferior hockey career, helium landed astatine the University of Waterloo, wherever helium played for the squad arsenic good arsenic studying concern and science.

“When I ended up going to assemblage and doing my master’s, the master’s was truly focused astir identifying a occupation and uncovering a solution to that problem,” Cordssen-David explained.

“And for me, the archetypal happening that came to caput was concussions and the subjectivity of the investigating that exists today.”

During his playing days, Cordssen-David believed helium ended up backmost connected the crystal contempt perchance having a concussion.

“I didn’t person truly a terrible concussion astatine the time, but I knew thing was off. I knew thing wasn’t right,” helium said. “But I passed each these questions astatine 1 constituent and I got enactment backmost into play.”

He said immoderate of the questions athletes are asked are astir the timing of the crippled oregon to sanction each of the months backwards. Cordssen-David believed determination was a amended mode to trial for concussions.

UWaterloo prof Marc Aucoin besides shared a akin involvement successful concussions and approached Cordssen-David with biomarker research, which is down the caller company’s technology.

“I’ve been progressive with my sons’ hockey and lacrosse teams and I’ve seen first-hand however challenging concussions person been with kids who play these competitory sports,” the chemic engineering prof stated.

He continued to enactment with Cordssen-David and Shazia Tavir, a idiosyncratic astatine the school, arsenic they developed the concussion.

The HeadFirst squad came up with a solution that works successful a akin manner to immoderate of the COVID-19 tests, though they statesman by utilizing someone’s saliva.

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“From determination we bash a pretreatment process connected the saliva to region each the gook and each the unnecessary worldly from saliva,” helium explained. “And past from there, precise akin to a COVID test, you driblet a fewer drops onto our assay and our assay volition similar a COVID trial tally up.”

Similar to the COVID-19 tests, if 2 lines amusement up, you person a concussion, whereas if conscionable 1 enactment appears, you don’t.

But don’t expect the merchandise to look connected store shelves immoderate clip soon arsenic the HeadFirst squad is inactive successful the aboriginal stages of development.

It is presently moving a aviator trial with the diversion section astatine the University of Waterloo and from there, it volition inactive request to get support from Health Canada and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

“We’re moving connected our regulatory roadmap to spot astir however agelong the timeline volition beryllium to get to market, on with estimated costs and illustration sizes, things similar that,” Cordssen-David explained.

Aside from the much evident applications specified arsenic high-level sports, helium believes determination are applicable uses for the subject and successful exigency care.

He noted that car crashes and falls astatine location thin to origin galore concussions truthful having the tests aboard ambulances would beryllium a applicable solution.

“Those are truly the main absorption areas that we deliberation that the instrumentality tin supply the astir value,” helium said.