Active clinical trials for "Motor Neuron Disease"

This study will comprise an 18-week open label safety and tolerability trial. In this study, a total of 35 subjects with primary lateral sclerosis PLS or upper motor neuron predominate ALS will be enrolled. At the initial screening evaluation, a baseline T25FW will be obtained. This baseline test will be repeated at weeks 2, 4, 6, 10, 14 18. The validity of this measure was shown in MS studies when compared to the MSWS-12 (12 item walking scale) and CGI (clinical global impression) scales (35-37). A consistent responder will be defined as improvement in 3 of 4 Timed 25Foot Walk while on medication, compared with the baseline results while off medication.

The primary objective is to assess the safety and tolerability of Metformin in subjects with C9orf72 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis administered for 24 weeks. The overall objective is to determine if Metformin is safe in C9orf72 ALS patients and is a potentially viable therapeutic treatment for C9-ALS that reduces repeat-associated non-canonical start codon - in DNA (non-ATG) (RAN) proteins that are produced by the C9orf72 repeat expansion mutation.

Rationale: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a degenerative illness which currently has no medical cure. It is routinely accompanied by a significant symptom burden including high levels of distress in patients and their caregivers. As a result, an early palliative care approach is recommended in the ALS population. Palliative care has been shown to have positive effects on the quality of life in patients and caregivers in other life limiting illness such as cancer and multiple sclerosis. Unfortunately, our understanding of the palliative care needs in ALS is limited and the efficacy of palliative care involvement is poorly understood. Furthermore, ALS patients are largely underserved by palliative care in Ontario, with <50% of ALS patients receiving palliative care even in the last year of life. Hypothesis: The investigators hypothesize that ALS patients will be agreeable to palliative care consultations and that this will improve the quality of life of patients and their caregivers. Specific Aims: This project seeks to initiate routine palliative care consultation in an interdisciplinary ALS clinic to: 1) improve patient and caregiver quality of life, 2) further understand the palliative care needs of the ALS population and 3) identify which patients and caregivers are most likely to benefit from palliative care consultation, thus guiding clinicians on when to refer in the future. Significance: This study is the first investigate the feasibility and efficacy of palliative care consultation in the ALS population, and its effects on quality of life. It has the potential to provide increased support to patients as well as caregivers. Finally, this study will aid in our understanding of the optimal time to involve palliative care in the ALS population and will act as a foundation on which larger, controlled studies can be built.

69 subjects with ALS will be enrolled in the study and randomized at a 2:1 ratio to receive the study drug or placebo tablets. Randomization sequences will be in random block sizes and stratified for ENCALS risk category [high risk ≥ -4.5 vs. low risk < -4.5], and for background ALS treatment (riluzole and/or edaravone and/or sodium phenylbutyrate and/or taurursodiol) vs. no background ALS treatment. All subjects will be administered the drug/placebo twice daily (BID), two tablets each time, for 6 months. Subjects will be allowed to receive standard of care (SOC) treatment of approved products (i.e., riluzole and edaravone). Additionally, subjects will be allowed to receive treatment with off-label sodium phenylbutyrate and taurursodiol, which are accepted for ALS treatment. Subjects will be evaluated every 2 months for safety, tolerability (adverse events, safety laboratory, vital signs, ECG, withdrawal rates and reasons) and efficacy (e.g. biomarkers, clinical outcomes (ALSFRS-R and SVC, quality of life and survival). All subjects who complete the 6 months dosing will be switched to the active arm for a 12-month open label extension (OLE).

A Phase 2a Open-Label Preliminary Safety, Efficacy, and Biomarker Study of WP-0512 in Patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

Multicenter, multinational, double-blind, randomized (2:1), placebo-controlled Phase III study to investigate the efficacy and safety of 100 mg FAB122 once daily as oral formulation in ALS patients.

The purpose of this study is to determine the safety and efficacy of intrathecal treatment delivered to the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of mesenchymal stem cells in ALS patients every 3 months for a total of 4 injections over 12 months. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a type of stem cell that can be grown into a number of different kinds of cells. In this study, MSCs will be taken from the subject's body fat and grown. CSF is the fluid surrounding the spine. The use of mesenchymal stem cells is considered investigational, which means it has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for routine clinical use. However, the FDA has allowed the use of mesenchymal stem cells in this research study.

The alteration of iron metabolism is reported in animal models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) as well as in sporadic and genetic forms (SOD1 and C9orf72) of ALS. The high iron concentration of the brain, due to its high energy demand (high oxygen consumption), makes motor neurons particularly vulnerable to energy deficit and oxidative stress. Post-mortem examinations and MRI scans in patients with ALS have found signs of iron accumulation in the central motor tract; and a high level of serum ferritin, which is a marker of iron levels, is associated with a lower prognosis. In ALS mouse models, the use of iron chelators has demonstrated neuroprotection and increased life expectancy, suggesting that elimination of excess iron from the brain can prevent neuronal loss and, consequently, a slow progression of the disease. Conservative chelation of iron refers to a modality whereby much of the iron that binds to the chelator is redistributed in the body rather than exhausted. Using a chelator, deferiprone, with this feature, in a safety pilot study, a very good safety profile was observed. Deferiprone eliminated excess iron from brain regions, reduced oxidative damage and cell death associated with regional iron deposits with no apparent negative impact on the iron levels needed. Now, the efficacy of this new therapeutic modality of neuroprotection is being evaluated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study.

This is a Phase 3, international, multicenter, open-label, long-term extension study. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the long-term safety and tolerability of oral edaravone in subjects with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) for up to 96 weeks.

The ALSpire Study is a clinical trial evaluating the investigational drug BIIB105 in adults living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The ALSpire Study consists of two parts: Part 1: 6-month placebo-controlled study. During Part 1, participants are randomly assigned to receive either BIIB105 or placebo in a 3:1 or 2:1 ratio (depending on the participant's assigned Cohort). Part 2: up to 3-year long-term open-label extension. During Part 2, all participants receive BIIB105. The objectives of the study are to evaluate: The safety and tolerability of BIIB105 in people with ALS What the body does to BIIB105 (also called "pharmacokinetics") What BIIB105 does to the body (also called "pharmacodynamics") Whether BIIB105 can slow the worsening of clinical function