All you have to do is look around. If you do, you’ll see the rate of progress accelerating. Look at anything modern. Some people liken this to Moore’s Law concerning the computer components doubling every two years. Others, more poetical, will point to Newton’s quotation (though it’s actually a paraphrase of an older quotation) about standing on the shoulders of giants. Regardless of if you’re feeling analytical or creative, the rate of progress feels as if it’s building.
This is absolutely true of medical research, especially after viral movements, like the Ice Bucket Challenge for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
A group of researchers at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University have been working on possible treatments for ALS for years now. In the first part of 2016, the researchers released information about an interesting connection between ALS and copper in the body that may lead to a treatment option. One of the researchers, Joe Beckman, took time out earlier this year to update the many people following this research who are afflicted by this terrible disease.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a neurological disease that progressively attacks and eventually kills the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. The disease can affect both voluntary and involuntary muscle movements. Eventually, ALS can attack respiratory function. It is fatal in some cases due to the inability to breathe.
There is no known cure for ALS, but that does not prevent researchers from seeking one. Beckman is one of these seekers. In an open letter to the ALS community, he outlined how a micronutrient compound that contains copper is showing some impressive results in studies involving mice.
Despite this hopeful news, Beckman is careful to temper his optimism because copper can be toxic if taken incorrectly or in concentrations that are too high. Phase I studies are only now starting for the micronutrient. The complex compound being studied has a very particular delivery mechanism.
Phase I studies do not test the effectiveness of the drug on the disease or symptom. Instead, at this stage in the clinical trials, researchers are testing how well people tolerate the active ingredients in the medication.
Beckman also points out that even though the progress toward new treatments for ALS is remarkable in the last few years, it is important to act carefully and deliberately when it comes to people’s safety.
No matter how fast progress of medical treatments gets, we have to make sure that they are safe for human use before they are made available to the public.
With luck, this copper micronutrient will be effective and available soon.
Click here to read the open letter by Joe Beckman.
