PRESS RELEASE for The Chuck Noll Foundation for Brain Injury Research

PITTSBURGH, SEPTEMBER 10, 2025 — The Chuck Noll Foundation for Brain Injury Research has announced that a new $300,000 grant has been awarded that will focus a clinical trial on veterans, retired NAVY Seals and retired NFL players throughout the United States who
have a history of repetitive head impacts. A national call for participants is underway. The grant has been awarded to Dr. Pravat K. Mandal, Faculty in Neurosurgery, UPMC and former Director-in-Charge of National Brain Research Center (India). The objective of this trial is to study the impact of oral supplementation of gamma-glutamyl cysteine (GGC) to enrich the primary brain antioxidant, glutathione (GSH) in patients with a history of repetitive head impacts.

This clinical trial aims to recruit and enroll at least 50 participants who meet inclusion/exclusion criteria such as retired NFL players, retired Navy SEALs and other military personnel with combat experience exposed to repetitive head impact.

“It is especially exciting to see the type of cutting-edge research we are able to support at the Foundation,” said National Science Advisory Committee member Dr. Shelly Timmons. “Dr. Pravat is taking an approach to clinical research that could have an incredible impact on the way we treat vulnerable populations, athletes in high-impact sports and military personnel, in the next 10 years.”

Pravat Madal, Ph.D and Joseph Maroon, M.D., UPMC neurosurgeon and consultant to the Pittsburgh Steelers have previously used non-invasive magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to study specific neurochemicals in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. With MRS, they discovered, for the first time, a deficiency of glutathione, the primary brain antioxidant in patients with these diseases.

Mandal and Maroon believe that increased glutathione levels may reduce the free radical damage caused by oxidative stress in repeatedly injured brains that leads to neurodegeneration. This may have important implications in patients with potential traumatic encephalopathy from contact sports such as football and from traumatic brain injury within military personnel.

“This is an important novel clinical trial as it will investigate the effect of oral
supplementation of GGC to elevate and enrich glutathione in the brain and blood, its effect
on cognitive/behavioral changes as well as assess any changes in the gut-microbiome,”
said Dr. Maroon.

Organizations and individuals that are interested in learning more can contact Dr. Pravat Mandal at mandalpk@upmc.edu. The study protocol is listed in the clinical trials.gov and recruitment process is initiated

https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07050173?cond=glutathione%20brain%20injury&rank=2

About the Chuck Noll Foundation for Brain Injury Research:

The Chuck Noll Foundation for Brain Injury Research provides early-stage funding for research projects investigating ways to diagnose, treat and prevent brain injuries as a result of sports related activities. The Chuck Noll Foundation for Brain Injury Research was established in December 2016 through an initial grant from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Chuck Noll, for whom the Foundation is named, enjoyed a 23-year coaching career with the Steelers that culminated with his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993. Noll’s commitment to the well-being of his players ultimately led to the development of the ImPACT test (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing) used by NFL team doctors since 2007, and now internationally used to help monitor concussions for athletes at all levels. More information on the Chuck Noll Foundation for Brain Injury Research can be found at www.chucknollfoundation.org.