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Cherry

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Many of you might have read this but for those who haven't .......


ALS TDI Presents Latest Data at International Symposium in Berlin
12/17/2009

This December 8-10, nearly 900 researchers, neurologists, clinicians and others involved in the care of people living with ALS gathered in Berlin, Germany, for the 20th Annual Symposium on MND/ALS.
2009 Research Symposium

The 2009 Research Symposium spanned three days and included 20 different sessions covering a broad range of topics in both biomedical and clinical research. The two tracks ran concurrently throughout, with the sessions held in two opulent theaters at the opposite ends of the grand foyer of the Maritim Hotel Berlin, which was erected near the historic line where the Berlin wall once stood. However, there was no division between the two tracks as neurologists and researchers freely moved between the sessions and interacted with one another during the entire annual event.

During a session, entitled ''Inflammatory/Immunological and Glial Contribution to Motor Neuron Degeneration,'' ALS TDI CEO & Chief Scientific Officer, Steve Perrin, Ph.D., gave a presentation on the Institute's recent discovery and development of a potential treatment for ALS. During the talk, Dr. Perrin showed a significant amount of data, some fed to him only the evening before, showing how the drug, a protein biologic known as ALS TDI 00846 (or MR1), has been shown to significant slow the degeneration of neurological function and extend survival of animals in the preclinical model of disease. Dr. Perrin clearly outlined how the Institute used a massive investigation into the gene expression changes related to both disease onset and progression to identify ''druggable pathways.'' Institute staff then used highly sensitive statistical analysis to prioritize the hundreds identified through that process down a manageable list of five. The result was the identification of the Costimulatory pathways, which is involved in the regulation of the innate immune system. ALS TDI 00846 was chosen, according to Dr. Perrin, because of its previous commercial use in treating another disease and that there was significant additional clinical and safety data available, making it a prime candidate for potential speedy movement toward the clinic for ALS patients today.
Dr. Perrin

Following his 30 minute presentation, Dr. Perrin answered a flurry of questions from the crowd of researchers and neurologists in the room; one specifically suggested that the Institute run the molecule in a second mouse model to confirm their results. The Institute had already initiated that experiment according to Dr. Perrin. Other comments from the crowd referenced directly with the amount of data collected in support of the development of the drug, including early data linking the up-regulation of the genetic pathway of interest in approximately 40% of patients through the Institute's analysis of 300 blood samples it had collected over the past year from cases of sporadic ALS.

''Mice are not men and we have done all that we can with this drug in the mouse model and it is time to get it into the clinic. To accomplish that we have been meeting with a number of potential pharmaceutical companies that have the expertise in using this particular biologic and that have an interest in developing an ALS franchise. We know that it is going to take several drugs on the market for ALS patients to choose, similar to the situation we see today for those living with MS,'' said Dr. Perrin during his presentation to a packed room.

Many other timely talks were given during the conference, including the reporting of data on several clinical trials of Ceftriaxone, being run jointly by MGH and NINDS, and KNS704, a drug developed and sponsored entirely by a private corporation called Knopp Neurosciences. Both of these drugs are anticipated to be in phase III clinical trial by the end of the first quarter of 2010. Other sessions at the meeting focused on care related issues, specifically the outcomes of the American Association of Neurology's updates to its treatment guidelines for ALS patients and palliative care.

Dr. John Lincecum, Associate Director of Research Biology at ALS TDI, joined Dr. Perrin and ALS TDI's Director of Communications, Robert Goldstein at the International Symposium. A record of the three delegate's notes is available online at: http://www.als.net/docs/pdf/News/BerlinNotes120909.pdf

The Research Symposium was preceded by the annual meeting of the International Alliance of MND/ALS Organizations, which is chaired by Gudjon Sigurðsson, an MND patient himself. While the Research Symposium is an annual event organized by the MND Association (England, Wales and Northern Ireland), it is held in a different country each year and hosted by a member of the Alliance, chosen by its board of directors. The 2009 event has hosted by the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Muskelkranke e.V. (DGM). The 2010 event will be hosted by the ALS Association at the Grande Marriott in Orlando December 11th-13th. The Alliance meeting will take place on the 8th and 9th.

The Alliance meeting featured presentations from nearly two dozen country's MND/ALS organizations, each providing an update to the congress on their efforts to care for those living with fatal neurodegenerative diseases today. A full recap on that meeting is available via this link: ALS TDI (ALS Therapy Development Institute) :: News - Article Details

Disclaimer: Nothing in this post or the links referenced are meant as medical advice or to replace the advice of a medical professional charged with the care of a person living with ALS/MND. Always consult with your medical team before making decisions related to your
care.

Cherry.
 
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