More MDA/ALS Research News

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December 28, 2011

ALS TDI Teams with Two Biotechs to Develop Therapy
The MDA-supported ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) will collaborate with Biogen Idec and UCB to test CDP7657, a compound that modulates the immune system

Article Highlights:
• CDP7657 is an antibody fragment that inhibits the immune response by targeting a protein called CD40L.
• Biogen Idec and UCB are multinational biotechnology companies that will develop CDP7657 as an ALS treatment if results of mouse studies at the ALS TDI are positive.
• The identification of the CD40L pathway's relevance to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) was financially supported by MDA's Augie's Quest.
• A webinar discussion of the ALS TDI-Biogen Idec-UCB research agreement will take place Jan. 5, 2012, at 1 p.m. ET.

To learn more, read the full ALS News Online article.
als.mda.org
Scott Wiebe
National Director — Outreach Services & ALS Division

 

[apollick]

I received this email today from the MDA/ALS research area:

December 29, 2011

Immunomodulator CTLA4-FC Being Tested in ALS Mouse Model
With $278,850 in funding from MDA, the ALS Therapy Development Institute is testing whether the immune-system modulator CTLA4-FC slows disease progression in ALS mice.

Article Highlights:
• The Muscular Dystrophy Association has awarded a grant totaling $278,850 to the nonprofit biotech ALS Therapy Development Institute to support testing of a mouse version of CTLA4-FC in the SOD1 research mouse model of ALS.
• In humans, CTLA4-FC blocks activation of the immune system's "costimulatory pathway" by targeting a signaling protein called CD86.
• Blocking activation of the costimulatory pathway has been shown to slow disease progression and improve survival in SOD1 ALS mice. Previous MDA funding helped ALS TDI characterize and document the role of the costimulatory pathway in ALS.

To learn more, read the full ALS News Online article.
als.mda.org
Scott Wiebe
National Director — Outreach Services & ALS Division