Col. Dallas Hack, director of the Combat Casualty Care Research Program on the set of CNN morning show

Col. Dallas Hack, director of the Combat Casualty Care Research Program on the set of CNN morning show.

Col. Dallas Hack, director of the Combat Casualty Care Research Program appeared live on the CNN Morning Show, Monday October 19. The segment focused on the commands work with biomarkers for Traumatic Brain Injury. The topic has been getting a lot of media coverage lately including front page of USA Today and interviews on CNN and ABC. The command has supported this work for over ten years and Col. Hack is optimistic that we are on the right track to developing a blood test that can detect if someone has suffered a concussion or mild traumatic brain injury in a combat environment. "A recent study found that very unique, specific proteins are released into the bloodstream when the brain cells are injured," Hack said. "Some of those are actually high enough in concentration, they get across into the bloodstream." The test is still in the early part of clinical research, but Hack says results from the first 34 patients is very promising. A much larger study is expected to begin next year. It will involve 1,200 patients at more than 30 trauma centers around the country.