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Study shows clear link between CTE and dementia risk
A new study says CTE should be recognised as a cause of dementia, with those in the most advanced stages facing a 4.5-fold higher lifetime risk.
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a degenerative brain condition seen in some athletes.
Linked to repeated head impacts, it can cause memory loss, mood changes, poor coordination and suicidal thoughts. Diagnosis is only possible after death.
People with the most advanced CTE were 4.5 times more likely to develop dementia during life than people without CTE, researchers found.
Many former NHL and NFL players have been posthumously diagnosed with CTE, including Junior Seau, Frank Gifford and Ken Stabler.
The study from researchers at the Boston University CTE Center provides what the centre describes as the clearest evidence yet linking CTE to dementia risk.
The centre says these findings indicate CTE should be known as a cause of dementia.
“This study provides evidence of a robust association between CTE and dementia as well as cognitive symptoms, supporting our suspicions of CTE being a possible cause of dementia,” said Dr Michael Alosco, an associate professor of neurology and co-director of clinical research at the BU CTE Center.
“Establishing that cognitive symptoms and dementia are outcomes of CTE moves us closer to being able to accurately detect and diagnose CTE during life, which is urgently needed.”
Researchers studied brain tissue from more than 600 donors, the majority men.
The donors, primarily contact sport athletes, had known exposure to repetitive head impacts, but none had Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy body disease or frontotemporal lobar degeneration.
They found that 366 male donors had CTE. After examining the donor brains, they calculated the odds of developing dementia across CTE stages I to IV.
Donors with stages III and IV had the worst cognitive and functional symptoms, regardless of age or history of substance use treatment.
Lower stages were not associated with dementia, cognitive impairment or functional decline.
The team also found no link between less severe CTE and changes in mood or thinking, suggesting observed changes may stem from other effects of repetitive head impacts or unrelated medical or environmental factors.
“Understanding which brain changes drive cognitive decline is essential,” said Dr Richard Hodes, director of the National Institute of Health’s National Institute on Aging.
“This study shows that only severe CTE has a clear link to dementia, which provides an important distinction for researchers, healthcare providers and families.”
The study also found that dementia due to CTE is often misdiagnosed as Alzheimer’s disease.
Both conditions are marked by abnormal tau proteins that build up in brain cells and affect blood vessels, although the tau differs in each disease.
Of donors with CTE who had received a dementia diagnosis during life, 40 per cent were told they had Alzheimer’s disease but showed no evidence of it at autopsy.
A further 38 per cent of families were told the cause of dementia was unknown or could not be specified.
PrimeC showed a more than 14-month survival benefit in an ALS trial, according to updated long-term data from NeuroSense Therapeutics Ltd.
NeuroSense Therapeutics Ltd announced updated long-term survival data from its completed Phase 2b PARADIGM clinical trial of its investigational therapy PrimeC in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to the company.
The analysis showed that patients who received PrimeC continuously during both the double-blind and open-label phases achieved an estimated median survival of 36.3 months, compared with 21.4 months for those initially assigned to placebo, representing a more than 14-month improvement in survival.
After adjusting for baseline risk factors, a statistical model indicated that PrimeC treatment was associated with a 65 per cent reduction in the risk of death compared with placebo, reinforcing the magnitude of the observed survival advantage, the company said.
The PARADIGM trial evaluated PrimeC, an investigational extended-release oral formulation combining two existing FDA-approved drugs, in 68 patients with ALS.
The updated survival results build on previously reported evidence of slowed disease progression and a favourable safety and tolerability profile seen in the same study.
NeuroSense stated that these survival findings provide additional clinical context to support advancement of PrimeC into pivotal late-stage development and strengthen its engagement with regulatory authorities.
The therapy remains investigational and has not been approved for marketing.
Researchers are studying recovery after bowel cancer treatment in older people, as the REBOUND study looks at ageing changes linked to surgery and care.
The study, Resilience Breakthroughs in Older people Undergoing cancer proceDures, is examining how key “hallmarks of ageing” are affected following bowel cancer treatment in people aged 65 and over.
These are the biological processes that naturally occur as we get older.
The chief investigator and principal investigator of the study, professor Thomas Jackson is professor in geriatric medicine at the University of Birmingham and consultant in geriatric medicine and general internal medicine at University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB).
He said: “This is really important work that couldn’t be done without the support of patients agreeing to be in the study.
“We want to understand how the biology of ageing changes when older people have significant events, such as major surgery, and why some people recover well, and others don’t.
“With this understanding, we can identify ways of improving recovery in everyone and maximising the benefits of cancer treatment.”
Researchers at USB, in collaboration with King’s College London (KCL), are leading the study to understand the factors that influence how well older people recover from cancer treatment and to find ways to keep the body strong.
While age is a known risk factor for developing cancer, treatments such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy (which helps the immune system attack cancer), surgery and radiation therapy can trigger processes in the body that resemble ageing.
By understanding how the body responds to cancer treatment, researchers aim to develop new interventions that could prevent or reduce ageing-related changes and improve the number of years spent in good health. The ultimate goal is to help older people with cancer remain active and continue doing the things that matter most to them.
The study involves analysing DNA for age-related changes, examining gut bacteria from stool samples and assessing changes in blood and fat cells.
Samples will be collected at multiple time points before, during and after surgery.
These biological findings will be compared with tests of memory, thinking, strength and muscle function, alongside information from medical records.
The study aims to recruit 172 participants aged 50 years and older who are scheduled to undergo bowel cancer surgery at UHB, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
The study opened to recruitment in autumn 2024, and to date, 58 patients have been enrolled.
The project is a collaborative effort bringing together clinicians specialising in the care of older people, surgeons and scientists with expertise in ageing and complex data analysis. It is supported by the Dynamic Resilience programme, funded by Wellcome Leap and the Temasek Trust.
Korsana Biosciences has emerged from stealth with US$175m to develop an Alzheimer’s antibody designed to boost amyloid plaque clearance.
The Waltham, Massachusetts-based biotech is focused on neurodegenerative disease.
Its lead programme, KRSA-028, is a next-generation shuttled monoclonal antibody targeting amyloid beta, a protein that can build up into plaques in Alzheimer’s.
The treatment uses the company’s THETA platform, which incorporates transferrin receptor (TfR1) and Fc engineering to improve delivery across the blood-brain barrier, the protective layer that controls what enters the brain from the bloodstream.
The company says KRSA-028 is designed to increase plaque clearance, lower the rate of amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA), changes seen on brain scans, and support low-volume subcutaneous dosing, given under the skin, rather than intravenous infusions.
The company was founded in 2024 with a US$25m seed investment and closed a US$150m Series A financing round in September 2025.
It has appointed Jonathan Violin as president and chief executive. Dr Violin has been a venture partner at Fairmount since 2023 and previously served as founding chief executive of Viridian Therapeutics from 2020 to 2023.
He was also founding chief executive of Dianthus Therapeutics and Quellis Biosciences, which merged into Astria Therapeutics.
Dr Violin said: “We are thrilled to announce the launch of Korsana with a mission to elevate expectations for patients suffering from devastating neurodegenerative diseases.
“In particular, Alzheimer’s disease represents a massive and growing unmet need, with the US patient population projected to double to approximately 13m by 2050.
“Only two disease-modifying therapies have been approved to treat Alzheimer’s, and both carry safety warnings, offer only modest efficacy, and impose a high burden of care.
“Patients deserve better options than what is currently available, and we believe our lead programme KRSA-028 can deliver a best-in-class product to treat Alzheimer’s.
“I am thrilled with the robust support of our mission by Korsana’s investors, and excited to build another leading biotechnology company in partnership with the team at Paragon Therapeutics.”
The Series A was co-led by Wellington Management and TCGX, with participation from J.P. Morgan Life Sciences Private Capital, Janus Henderson Investors, Sanofi Ventures, Foresite Capital and others.
The seed round came from Fairmount and Venrock Healthcare Capital Partners.
KRSA-028 was discovered in partnership with Paragon Therapeutics. The company is also advancing a pipeline of THETA-enabled therapies for other undisclosed neurodegenerative diseases.
The financing is expected to fund activities into 2028, including pharmacokinetics, CNS penetration and safety data from healthy volunteers expected in mid-2027, and initial proof-of-concept data showing amyloid plaque clearance in Alzheimer’s patients expected by the end of 2027.
Andrew Gottesdiener, partner at Venrock and co-founder and member of the board of directors of Korsana, said: “We believe Korsana is well positioned to overcome the limitations of not just first-generation Alzheimer’s therapies, but also of earlier shuttle technologies.
“Leveraging a well-established regulatory pathway, Korsana is advancing the next generation of therapies for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders, with a clear path to creating value for patients.
“We are thrilled to work with Korsana to build what I believe will become an important and valuable company. Together, we are committed to delivering better medicines to patients suffering from neurodegenerative diseases.”
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