This new blood test could diagnose a degenerative brain disease
What's the story
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine have identified a protein fragment in blood, called eMTBR-tau243. The discovery could be a major breakthrough in diagnosing chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain condition caused by repeated head trauma. Currently, CTE can only be diagnosed post-mortem through brain tissue examination. The new biomarker is also found to be elevated in Alzheimer's disease and other brain disorders with similar toxic protein accumulation patterns.
Biomarker correlation
Test could differentiate advanced CTE from healthy individuals
When researchers analyzed blood samples from 11 individuals with confirmed CTE at autopsy, they found elevated levels of eMTBR-tau243.
The concentration of this biomarker rose with the severity of the brain disease.
This indicates that the test could differentiate advanced CTE from healthy individuals with high accuracy, but it still needs to be validated for early-stage CTE detection.
Future prospects
Blood test could monitor individuals at risk of developing CTE
The researchers behind the study, Kanta Horie and Chihiro Sato, believe that large-scale studies could validate their findings.
If successful, clinicians may use this blood test to monitor individuals at risk of developing CTE.
However, Sato cautions that this biomarker won't be standalone but could be used in conjunction with other tests for more accurate diagnosis in people with a history of repeated head injuries.
Ongoing concerns
CTE diagnosed in over 350 NFL players post-mortem
CTE remains a major concern in both science and sport.
A recent study of nearly 400 NFL players whose brains were donated for examination after their deaths found that 93.5% showed evidence of CTE.
More than 350 NFL players have been diagnosed with CTE post-mortem, including Hall of Fame center Mike Webster, Junior Seau, who played two Super Bowls in his 20-year career, and former MVP Frank Gifford, who was also a prominent broadcaster.