Pittsburgh, June 2, 2026 — Faculty from the University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurological Surgery have introduced a rapid blood test for traumatic brain injury into routine clinical care at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital, marking the integration of TBI biomarkers into standard bedside practice.
A multidisciplinary team gathered at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in May 2026 to mark the milestone and recognize the contributors whose work made it possible. The department thanks Kate Edelman and Steven Benso of the University of Pittsburgh Brain Health Initiative for organizing the event. The clinical introduction follows years of laboratory effort, multi-site collaboration and validation, translating a research discovery into a tool now used directly in patient care.
Pictured from left to right: Beth McQuiston, MD; David Okonkwo, MD, PhD; Geoffrey Manley, MD, PhD
The test runs on Abbott's i-STAT Alinity point-of-care testing platform and analyzes a small whole blood sample for two brain-specific TBI biomarkers, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1). It returns lab-quality results in about 15 minutes at the patient's bedside. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared the whole blood version of the test for clinical use in April 2024.
Pitt was the central biorepository for the clinical research that validated the assay at the FDA, through its participation in the Transforming Research and Clinical Knowledge in Traumatic Brain Injury (TRACK-TBI). David Okonkwo, MD, PhD, director of the Neurotrauma Clinical Trials Center, and Ava Puccio, RN, PhD, principal investigator of the biospecimens repository, have led the department's neurotrauma biomarker work for almost two decades.
The test helps clinicians assess patients with suspected TBI and determine whether a patient needs a CT scan. By identifying patients who can safely avoid imaging, it can shorten time in the emergency department, reduce radiation exposure, and eliminate the cost of unnecessary testing.
The same point-of-care capability carries particular value in military settings. Developed in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Defense, the test allows rapid, objective assessment of injured soldiers in the field, informing care decisions to save lives on the battlefield.
Pictured from left to right: David Okonkwo, MD, PhD; Lori Shutter, MD; John Kanter, MD; Sandy Rader; Pascal Zinn, MD, PhD, MBA
This announcement describes the clinical adoption of a commercially available diagnostic test and the department's earlier role in validating it. Reference to specific products or manufacturers is for informational purposes only and does not constitute endorsement by the University of Pittsburgh or its Department of Neurological Surgery. i-STAT and Alinity are trademarks of Abbott. The associated research was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Defense.