Canadian researchers have discovered an effective medication for the treatment of individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Researchers from the University of Montréal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM) and the Cumming School of Medicine (CSM) at the University of Calgary have discovered a medication that can treat individuals with ALS. Université de Montréal professor and CRCHUM researcher Alex Parker said: “This medication alleviates the symptoms of ALS in animal models. "Riluzole and edaravone, the drugs currently used, have modest effects. Other studies must be conducted to confirm our results, but we believe that we’ve found a medication that may prove to be more effective in improving patients’ quality of life.” Six years back, Parker genetically modified millimeter-long nematode worms called C. elegans to exhibit aspects of the human form of ALS. Simultaneously, his colleague Pierre Drapeau also carried out the similar procedure with another animal zebrafish, which is a tiny tropical fish with 5cm long. The US Department of Defense provided the funding for two scientists to test medications on these worms and fish born with ALS. With around 25 ALS patients, the first preclinical trial for ALS was launched in 2015. The initial clinical trial was modest in scope, while the researchers had a first indication of the drug's efficacy only after six weeks.
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