NIH awards UC $9 million grant to improve patient point-of-care technologies

University of Cincinnati researchers have earned $9 million to develop technologies for crucial assistance when time is critical in a neurologic emergency

A leading cause of disability in the United States is a neurological event such as stroke, head injury or drug abuse. Regardless of the cause, the brain is often quickly and irreversibly damaged. UC researchers, funded by a $9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, will study point-of-care technologies to assist the diagnosis and treatment of patients with neurologic emergencies. The result is the "Point-of-Care Center for Emerging Neuro Technologies.” This five-year award is renewable for five years.

Fred Beyette is the PI of the overall grant, which encompasses five core areas. Click here for more information.

“It is estimated that one million brain cells die every minute during an ischemic stroke,” says Fred Beyette, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and principal investigator (PI) for the project. “It’s said that ‘time is brain’ during a neurologic emergency. Point-of-care information is critical for preventing patient brain damage, dysfunction and death. Thus, there is a critical need for developing improved and rapid diagnostic information for the patient experiencing neurologic emergencies.”

“The UC center is dedicated to the development of technologies that will dramatically improve the care and health of the neurologic patient by providing fast and reliable information about the biological events occurring in this patient population,” says Joseph Clark, professor of neurology in UC’s College of Medicine and co-principal investigator (Co-PI) of the overall grant.

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