Saliva Test Could Detect 50% of Missed Concussions

Andrew Cordssen-David knows what it feels like to downplay a head injury just to keep playing. After years of competitive hockey, including time in the Canadian Hockey League, he watched teammates do the same thing over and over.

The problem is massive. An estimated 50% of sports-related concussions go unreported or undiagnosed because current screening relies heavily on athletes honestly reporting symptoms. Many minimize what they're feeling just to stay in the game.

So Cordssen-David redirected his athletic ambitions into solving the problem. After earning degrees in Science and Business at the University of Waterloo, he co-founded HeadFirst, a company developing a small device that detects concussions through saliva testing.

"A lot of concussion screening today is still guesswork because of the subjectivity of current assessments," Cordssen-David explains. "What we're doing is adding the first objective test into the toolkit of athletic and health care professionals."

The science is straightforward. Saliva contains specific biomarkers that indicate brain injury, according to Dr. Shazia Tanvir, HeadFirst's co-founder and a professor at Waterloo. The device can identify these markers quickly, giving athletic trainers an objective result at the point of care instead of relying solely on subjective symptom reporting.

HeadFirst is currently testing the technology with University of Waterloo sports teams. Once clinical trials wrap up, the device will work alongside existing assessments to help medical professionals make faster, more informed decisions about whether an athlete has suffered a concussion.

The Ripple Effect

Word has already spread beyond college athletics. Since news of the breakthrough emerged, Olympic committees, professional sports leagues, and major international teams have contacted HeadFirst about using the technology.

But the impact could extend far beyond sports. The device has potential applications anywhere rapid concussion assessment matters, from roadside accident scenes to military combat zones. First responders could use it to quickly identify traumatic brain injuries that might otherwise go unnoticed until symptoms worsen.

Cordssen-David credits the University of Waterloo's entrepreneurship programs for helping transform his early idea into a real company. "You're surrounded by people who want to build solutions to solve really big problems around the world," he says.

Now in the pre-clinical trial stage, HeadFirst has a clear mission: to leave no concussion undetected.