Recent Research Achievements

The ALS Association directs the most comprehensive, global ALS research program ever organized with 80 scientific studies being funded right now. Here are a few recent achievements that are only possible because of the generosity of friends like you:

·         Conducting the first FDA-approved U.S. trial to treat ALS with spinal cord stem cells. This is a significant step toward delivering regenerative medicine directly to damaged neural cells in humans, and offers great promise for treating ALS.

·         Scientists organized and funded by The Association discovered a new gene, ALS6 (Fused in Sarcoma), responsible for about 5 percent of the cases of inherited ALS. The discovery will provide important clues to the causes of ALS.

·         The first ALS patient received a new therapy, Isis-SOD1RX Antisense Treatment, in a clinical trial. This is the first therapy that is specifically aimed at the SOD1 gene, known to cause an  aggressive, inherited form of ALS.

To learn more about the latest research and findings, visit www.alsa.org/research.