NFL making US$40 million available for medical research
A year after the NFL pledged $100 million in support of independent medical research and engineering advancements, a huge chunk of that soon will be awarded to such research, primarily dedicated to neuroscience.
A Scientific Advisory Board assembled by the NFL is set to launch its program to solicit and evaluate research proposals for funding. The board, comprised of independent experts, doctors, scientists and clinicians, and chaired by retired U.S. Army General Peter Chiarelli, will provide direction for the $40 million allocated under the league’s initiative.
“Prevention should always be a focus,” Chiarelli says. “Nevertheless, the development of biologically based diagnostics is critical for return-to-play decisions for the NFL, and return to combat/ training for the armed forces. Imagine if you had a handheld analyzer that with a single drop could determine whether a player or a soldier had a concussion - and determine the severity of that injury.”
The NFL has an ongoing affiliation with the armed forces, and in April partnered with the U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command on a three-year venture to collaborate on head health research and development.
As always in this era of CTE concerns, any sports-oriented medical studies must be allencompassing. Developing improved tools for research and design is front and centre, as the league’s scientific advisory board is seeking to be, with significant financial outlay.
CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) can cause memory loss, depression, violent mood swings and other cognitive and behavioural issues in those exposed to repetitive head trauma.
“There have been significant learnings in recent years that have changed the way we look at traumatic brain injury, notably CTE,” says Dr. Allen Sills, who came aboard this year as the league’s chief medical officer. “I agree with many medical experts that there are still a lot of unanswered questions relating to the cause, incidence and prevalence of CTE. But what is clear is that there’s a problem that impacts some athletes in sports like ours, others possibly, too, and we are eager to see CTE research move forward and begin to assemble more pieces of the puzzle.
“The NFL has a responsibility to do everything it can to make the game safer and drive research that advances treatment and prevention and, as we make advances, share them with the broader sports world. Most of the issues we face in the NFL are sport issues, and beyond that they are society issues.”
A year out from Commissioner Roger Goodell’s pledge to “look at anything and everything to protect our players and make the game safer,” one of the areas receiving concentrated attention by the league is developing equipment that provides even more specific and enhanced feedback on improving safety in football. Helmets, shoulder pads and other pads, and footwear all have seen improvements, but there’s much more to be done.
The league has embarked on what it calls “The Engineering Roadmap,” a $60 million program designed to improve head protection equipment.
The program is managed in collaboration with NFL Players Association’s engineering consultants, Dr. Kristy Arbogast, co-scientific director of the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and Dr. Barry Myers, director of innovation at Duke University’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute.