Nasal treatment tackles brain injuries

A potential breakthrough treatment that’s inhaled through the nose could help treat traumatic brain injuries, according to James Cook University researchers.

Invented by JCU Professor Geoff Dobson and his team at JCU’s Heart and Trauma Research Laboratory, the nasal spray is based on a drug solution known as ALM (adenosine, lidocaine and magnesium).

As it’s inhaled, the drug bypasses the blood-brain barrier and goes straight to the brain, speeding up the healing process for brain injuries.

“Imagine throwing a pebble into a pond. The pebble causes ripple effects in the water,” Professor Dobson said.

“There's not much you can do about the pebble hitting the water and the same goes for a primary injury to the head. But what you can do is reduce the ripple effects or secondary injury progression.”

“Currently, there is no effective drug that reduces these ripple effects after brain injury,” Prof Dobson said.

The team, which consists of Prof Dobson, Dr Hayley Letson and Dr Jodie Morris, is also developing ALM therapy as an intravenous drip for more severe cases.

“The nasal therapy will treat mild concussion, and the drip for more severe head knocks that cause unconsciousness,” Prof Dobson said.

If successful, the drug could become part of concussion management guidelines in pre-hospital, hospital, military and sports environments.

Concussions account for nearly 20,000 emergency department presentations in Australia, affect up to 35 per cent of deployed military service members, and represent seven to 10 per cent of injuries in rugby league and AFL.

Treating concussion quickly is critically important as it may reduce later life complications such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), dementia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other diseases.

The team’s current study into ALM is a prelude to planned human safety trials, which will likely be done in the United States – once ALM has been produced in a US Federal Drug Administration-certified facility.

“Having a lightweight, effective treatment is a top priority for combat medics in forward environments and aeromedical retrieval services in rural and remote Australia,” Prof Dobson said.

Prof Dobson’s team is currently receiving funding from the US Department of Defense^[1].

US statistics show that 30 per cent of veterans with military-related head injuries suffer PTSD and early-onset dementia is becoming the new ‘silent epidemic’ in this group.

^[1] The JCU team’s research was supported by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs and the Defense Health Agency J9, Research and Development Directorate, or the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command, in the amount of $613,585 USD, through the Traumatic Brain Injury and Psychological Health Research Program under Award No. HT9425-23-1-0917. Opinions, interpretations, conclusions and recommendations are those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Department of Defense.