Toward a Cure for ALS
WHY IT MATTERS
If you or a loved one has ALS, this news means multiple new treatment approaches are in development that could slow disease progression or eventually modify the underlying disease process, offering hope beyond current symptom management.
Scientists are developing new treatments for ALS, a serious disease that affects nerve cells and muscles. These treatments work in different ways—some target genes, others help the immune system, and some use new methods to deliver medicine to the brain. While ALS is still very serious, people are living longer with better care, and doctors hope these new treatments will help slow down the disease.
Therapies that aim to target both genetic and cellular pathways in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are gradually emerging. Despite a median survival rate of 3-5 years from onset, some people living with ALS are defying the odds and surviving many years after diagnosis. With new means of proactive management helping slow progression, the hope is that providers may soon be able to offer these and future patients immunotherapies, genetic targeted and modifying therapies, and new delivery system
ASK YOUR DOCTOR
Ask your neurologist at your next appointment which of these emerging approaches (immunotherapy, genetic therapy, or new delivery systems) might be relevant to your specific ALS type and whether any clinical trials are appropriate for you.