Is a vaccine the answer for protecting athletes from CTE?
As the number of concussions suffered by athletes, including players in the National Football League, continues to rise, one company is developing a drug that could potentially inoculate the brain against chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
WIRED looked into this development at length, touching on difficulties scientists and tech companies have had researching CTE.
“Although it’s been 90 years since CTE was first described—in boxers, as ‘punch drunk syndrome’—the mechanisms of the disease are still poorly understood,” explained writer Megan Molteni. “Scientists believe that repeated brain trauma triggers the buildup of a neurotoxic protein called tau. But why that results in symptoms of confusion, memory loss, and enhanced aggression is still largely a mystery.”
The vaccine is still being developed, according to WIRED, but clinical trials could begin as early as 2019.
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Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.