Aug. 21, 2008

MDA/ALS Centers to Help ALS TDI
to Identify ALS 'Signature'

Blood and tissue samples will be collected from people with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) who are cared for at three of MDA's specialized ALS Centers as part of a collaborative effort between MDA and the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) of Cambridge, Mass. The Institute announced the collaboration Aug. 19.

The goal of this effort is to identify biological indicators (biomarkers) of disease progression in this neurodegenerative disease, which usually results in death within three to five years.

Partnering with the ALS TDI to collect blood samples and eventually samples of muscle and fatty tissue for analysis are the MDA/ALS Centers at Methodist Neurological Institute in Houston; the University of California-Irvine in Orange, Calif.; and Mount Sinai Hospital and Medical Center in New York.

ALS TDI scientists are planning to identify a molecular "signature" of ALS that will help with disease diagnosis and monitoring and may also provide new targets for experimental treatments.

Several hundred blood samples have already arrived at the Institute and are being processed, and additional centers are expected to become part of the process.

The effort is part of a three-year, $18 million funding and scientific collaboration between the ALS TDI and MDA, through its Augie's Quest initiative. It began in early 2007.

For information about blood or tissue donation, contact Beth Levine, Senior Associate Scientist and Project Manager at the ALS TDI, at blevine@als.net or (617) 441-7200.