View clinical trials related to ALS.
Filter by:Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a disabling and rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disorder. There is no treatment that significantly slows progression. Increasing age is an important risk factor for developing ALS; thus, the societal impact of this devastating disease will become more profound as the population ages. A significant hurdle to finding effective treatment has been an inability to accurately measure brain degeneration in humans. Advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques hold promise in this respect, and may assist in aiding diagnosis and the efficient testing of new drugs. Different MRI features of brain degeneration will be measured in a large sample of patients with ALS. The study will operate within the Canadian ALS Neuroimaging Consortium (CALSNIC). CALSNIC is a clinical research platform comprised of ALS clinics with standardized clinical and neuroimaging protocols.
The purpose of this research study is to discover and quantitate the differences in post-translational modifications found in the Cu, Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1) of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) as compared to healthy individuals. SOD1 is a known genetic cause of ALS. With certain mutations, SOD1 gains a toxic function which leads to motor neuron death.
The principal goal is to demonstrate that a specific pattern of microRNA (miRNA) expression can be correlated with the definite diagnostic of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). The investigators will use biological sample (from muscle biopsy, Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) and blood sample) collected in three control populations: definite ALS patients according to El Escorial diagnostic criterion, control patients without any neurological disease having an orthopedic surgery for shoulder disease, and control patient explored for peripheral neuropathy and myopathy. A second goal will correlate the miRNA pattern to the severity and/or progression rate of the motor neurons define as the progression rate of the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale (ALSFRS) score/year.
To isolate biomarkers of ALS in muscle
This project is expected to answer the question of interest assays of metabolites in the CSF as a tool for early diagnosis and should show whether it is possible or not to use such markers in the blood or urine. These studies should also help shed light on the pathophysiological original early clinical disease. While ALS appears to be more a clinical syndrome that pathophysiological entity unique metabolic abnormalities identified could help identify mechanisms disrupted in which therapeutic interventions will be possible.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive fatal neurodegenerative disease affecting motor neurons. Early diagnosis is essential for the success of clinical trials and objective biomarkers are needed for monitoring disease progression. Nerve and muscle ultrasound may provide this information. This study will collect pilot data to evaluate the value of muscle and nerve ultrasound to identify and monitor disease progression in ALS.
The investigators propose to adapt and pilot test a behavioral intervention for recently diagnosed patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), and/or a family care partner. ALS fatal neurodegenerative disease, the diagnosis of which can have a devastating impact on patients and their families. Our eight session intervention is derived from Coping Effectiveness Training, a manualized intervention based on stress and coping theory. It is designed to strengthen coping skills and alleviate distress following diagnosis. Participants (patients and/or care partners) will be recruited from the Eleanor and Lou Gehrig MDA/ALS Research Center, Columbia University. The main outcomes are changes in distress level, depression and anxiety symptoms, and coping self-efficacy. Once the investigators gain preliminary experience with the manual, get some sense of feasibility and acceptance, and learn about patient and care partner reactions, the investigators will be better able to prepare a grant application seeking NIH support for the development of the intervention, with the eventual goal of a multisite randomized controlled trial (RCT).
The purpose of this study is to collect biofluid samples for the banking and usage in ALS research. Through comparison of these samples, the researchers hope to learn more about the underlying cause of ALS, as well as find unique biological markers, which could be used to develop new therapies.
The purpose of this research study is to demonstrate that individuals with upper limb paralysis due to spinal cord injury, brachial plexus injury, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and brain stem stroke can successfully achieve direct brain control of assistive devices using an electrocorticography (ECoG)-based brain computer interface system.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of autologous bone marrow-derived stem cells("HYNR-CS inj"), through intrathecal delivery for the treatment in patients with ALS. This study consists of 2 steps. First step is a safety study of the intrathecal(IT) injection of "HYNR-CS inj" in 8 patients with ALS. In this phase 1 study, AE, laboratory test, physical examination, vital signs, Electrocardiogram, and Chest X-Ray examination were evaluated in terms of safety. Second step is to compare the efficacy and safety between test group and control group of total 64 patients with ALS.