ALS Alert Newsletter | May

Quick Tally of this Year's More Concrete Basic ALS Research Results

Results from a year of Packard-based research include:

• 3 new familial ALS genes—why they’re toxic is linked to flawed protein production, a hot topic in ALS science
• A new gene that possibly heightens the risk of sporadic ALS
• 7 new mouse, fly, fish, yeast and worm ALS models
• The first human cell lines created from patients with familial and sporadic ALS to enter the production pipeline
• More than 6 new tools (reporter mice) for tracking ALS in animal models ( reporter mice)
• 4 new possible drugs/chemicals to investigate as therapy
• 3 new cell pathways confirmed as important in ALS—a possible source of drug targets
• 1 new PET imaging tool—a coming way to track therapy in animal models, then patients.