Pittsburgh, September 10, 2025 -- The Chuck Noll Foundation for Brain Injury Research has awarded a $300,000 grant to Pravat Kumar Mandal, PhD, research professor at the University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurological Surgery, to study the impact of the oral supplement gamma-glutamyl cysteine (GGC) on veterans, retired NAVY Seals and retired National Football League players having a history of repetitive head impacts.
Researchers believe that GGC will increase and enrich the levels of the primary brain antioxidant glutathione (GSH), hopefully reducing the free radical damage caused by oxidative stress in repeatedly injured brains that often leads to neurodegeneration.
“It is especially exciting to see the type of cutting-edge research we are able to support at the foundation,” said the foundation's National Science Advisory Committee member Shelly Timmons, MD, PhD. “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.”
Dr. Mandal and renowned health and sports medicine expert Joseph Maroon, MD, 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.
“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.
The 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.
Organizations and individuals interested in learning more can contact Dr. Mandal at mandalpk@upmc.edu. Study and recruitment information can be found on the National Institutes of Health Clinical Trials.gov website.
Established in 2016 with an initial grant from the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers, the Chuck Noll Foundation for Brain Injury Research provides early-stage funding for research projects investigating ways to diagnose, treat and prevent brain injuries. The organization is named after the legendary Steeler head coach who placed a high importance on player safety.
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For additional information, please contact
Kelley Denny
412-352-9240
kelley@assemblegrp.com