Active clinical trials for "Motor Neuron Disease"

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a motor neuron disease, which is a group of neurological disorders that selectively affect motor neurons, the cells that control voluntary muscles of the body. The disorder causes muscle weakness and atrophy throughout the body due to the degeneration of the upper and lower motor neurons. Current drugs approved for ALS treatment only modestly slow disease progression. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive technique, which has been demonstrated to modulate cerebral excitability in several neurodegenerative disorders and modulate intracortical connectivity measures. In this randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled study, the investigators will evaluate whether a two-weeks' treatment with bilateral motor cortex anodal tDCS and spinal cathodal tDCS can improve symptoms in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and modulate intracortical connectivity, at short and long term.

This study will evaluate the safety and efficacy of repeated administration of NurOwn® (MSC-NTF cells) therapy, which is based on transplantation of autologous bone marrow derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC), which are enriched from the patient's own bone marrow, propagated ex vivo and induced to secrete Neurotrophic factors (NTFs). The autologous NurOwn® (MSC-NTF cells) are back-transplanted into the patient intrathecally by standard lumbar puncture where neurons and glial cells are expected to take up the neurotrophic factors secreted by the transplanted cells

Background: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease that selectively affects motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord, leading to bulbar, respiratory, and limb weakness. There is no effective treatment, and the disease usually progresses to death within 2 to 4 years. The therapeutic plasticity of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) may be an attractive therapy to this complex disease, turning MSCs strong candidates for cellular therapy in ALS. Design-A phase 1 open-safety clinical trial. 4 patients will be selected according to a restricted inclusion and exclusion criteria and after 2 escalated infusions of MSCs, there will be a follow up period of one year Methods - Primary endpoint: safety of mesenchymal autologous stem cells infusions escalated in two intrathecal administrations in patients with ALS defined as severe adverse events (SAe). Secondary endpoints: clinical response, laboratorial and magnetic resonance imaging of patients submitted to cellular escalating doses applied in the study. Quality of life, according to El Escorial criteria, ALSFR scale and functional scales. Conclusion: This study is a primary step before a large randomized double-blind clinical trial for ALS. It is expected to confirm the safety of escalated MSCs therapy in ALS patients, initial data of efficacy in addition to improved quality of life.

By doing this study the investigator hopes to learn more about a potential cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) called "oxidative stress". Oxidative stress is essentially an imbalance between the production of certain chemicals in the body called "free radicals" and the ability of the body to counteract or detoxify their harmful effects through neutralization by antioxidants. It is thought that factors such as environmental exposure (chemicals and lead), diet, smoking,alcohol consumption, physical activity and psychological stress cause oxidative stress to occur inside the body. By doing this study, the investigator hopes to learn whether the FDA-approved steroid medication called Betamethasone will restore overall antioxidant activity fALS patients with mutations in the Fused in Sarcoma gene (FUS gene). Participants who agree to take part in this research study, agree to the following responsibilities: Attend all scheduled visits Notify the study doctor of any illnesses, unexpected or troublesome side effects, or any other medical problems that occur during the study Be completely honest with their answers to all questions Check with the study doctor before taking any new medications, whether prescribed or "over the counter," even vitamins and herbal supplements.

The purpose of this study is to determine the safety of Zinc given at 90mg/d in conjunction with 2mg/d of copper in ALS patients.

The study will generate data on safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics after multiple daily doses of CK-2017357 in patients with ALS. Patients will be randomized into one of four different treatment groups, receiving daily oral doses of either placebo, 125 mg, 250 mg, or 375 mg of CK-2017357 for 14 days.

The purpose of this clinical trial is to asses the feasibility and the security of the intraspinal infusion of autologous bone marrow stem cells for the treatment of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis patients.

The drug being tested in this study is GSK1223249. It is being developed by GlaxoSmithKline to treat symptoms in patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). The drug works by inhibiting the protein that prevents nerve growth. This will be the first time the drug will be given to man. The trial is expected to involve approximately 76 patients. The study objective is to investigate the tolerability, safety and the way the body handles GSK1223249 after a range of single doses or repeat dose escalation in patients with ALS.

The purpose of the study is to determine the safety and the efficacy of Tretinoin and Pioglitazone HCL in patients with ALS who are currently on Riluzole.

The purpose of the study is to determine whether lithium is safe and effective in the treatment of ALS