Aethlon Medical Inc. (AEMD) Readies CTE Blood Diagnostic Trial As Super Bowl LI Approaches

Can Early CTE Diagnosis Lead to Early Alzheimer’s Diagnosis?

The implications of an accurate CTE diagnosis, financially speaking, may not be a game-changer, but the effects of one could be. If the same biomarker can also be used to diagnose other central nervous system diseases involving tau protein aggregation in the brain like Alzheimer’s, then Aethlon Medical, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEMD) could be on to something much bigger than CTE. Aethlon believes that exosomal tau levels can also tip doctors off to early Alzheimer’s Disease and other similar CNS diseases as well, allowing for treatment at much earlier stages. There is reason to believe that the same biomarker is present at higher levels in Alzheimer’s sufferers because it is a byproduct of the same tau protein that builds up in the brain in both conditions.

There is, however, a direct financial implication to an accurate blood-based CTE test, and that involves settlements with the NFL. Since the disease can now only be diagnosed post-mortem, it can’t be included in damage suits against the league. Judge Anita Brody, presiding over a previous CTE class action lawsuit, opined that she could not knowingly incentivize suicide so that family members can collect CTE damages.

At the very least, a successful blood test should help settle what is left of the dispute between the NFL and the medical community, and provide affected players with earlier treatment options. With Hollywood already spreading the word, Super Bowl week just ahead, and the NFL quietly reevaluating its medical cannabis policy in light of this, plenty of attention will be given to CTE and this trial in the weeks and months ahead.

A Personal Connection

Aethlon Medical, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEMD)’s CEO Jim Joyce also happens to have a personal connection to CTE. A former NFL player himself for the Denver Broncos in the mid 1980’s, he played in the 1984 divisional playoffs against two of those first diagnosed with the disease. One of these players, defensive guard Terry Long , committed suicide in 2005. Mike Webster, starting center for the Pittsburgh Steelers who played alongside Long, died in 2002 and was the first ever to be diagnosed with CTE by Dr. Omalu. Joyce also had a former teammate, Tom McHale, die at 45 from a drug overdose, diagnosed with CTE postmortem, whose widow now works at the Boston University CTE Center.

Note: This article is written by David Rich and originally published at Market Exclusive.