Overview

• The DIAGNOSE CTE Research Project-II, led by Boston University and partners, has officially begun enrolling participants, including former NFL quarterback Matt Hasselbeck.
• The study will recruit 350 men aged 50 and older, including 225 former football players, 75 control participants, and 50 individuals with Alzheimer’s disease.
• Researchers will use blood tests, multimodal brain imaging, and tau PET scans to identify biomarkers that could enable in vivo diagnosis of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
• A key goal is to distinguish CTE from other neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, addressing the current reliance on post-mortem autopsies for diagnosis.
• The Concussion Legacy Foundation, led by Chris Nowinski, is spearheading recruitment efforts, with a focus on including diverse and understudied groups.