LETHBRIDGE, AB – Some local researchers are studying pee. Yes, that’s right.
The research group, consisting of two people from the University of Lethbridge and one from the University of Calgary, are patenting urinary analysis to diagnose concussion and enhance recovery protocols.
Concussion or traumatic brain injury has become one of the most important issues in sport. The researchers are using a non-invasive test that examines specific metabolites in a player’s urine.
Dr. Gerlinde Metz with the U of L’s Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, says based on a little drop of urine, they’ve found you can tell if someone has had a traumatic brain injury with very high accuracy.
The researchers feel this type of testing could be “game-changing” for athletes.
Metz’s U of L colleague who’s also working on this research is Tony Montina. He works in the University’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. He says their goal to take this panel of metabolites and eventually develop a field test that would allow for evaluation on site.
The researchers says with further testing, then can also say if someone has recovered from their injury and is able to move on with their lives.
Metabolomic analysis has proven to be useful in identifying biomarkers for various conditions, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, brain cancer, epilepsy and more.
(With files from U of L news release)