According to a story from Alabama News Center, a scientist affiliated with Southern Research, Dr. Rita Cowell, has been hard at work researching new potential treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. As this disease has extremely limited treatment options, the results of this research could one day be groundbreaking. But all research requires funding. Thankfully, a grant from the Alabama Power Foundation was recently awarded towards Dr. Cowell’s project.
About Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, otherwise known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a rare, degenerative disease that causes the death of nerve cells associated with the voluntary muscles. Little is known about the origins of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, with no definitive cause in about 95 percent of cases. The remaining five percent appear to inherit the disease from their parents. Symptoms initially include loss of coordination, muscle weakness and atrophy, muscle stiffness and cramping, and trouble speaking, breathing, or swallowing. These symptoms worsen steadily over time; most patients die because of respiratory complications. Treatment is mostly symptomatic and the medication riluzole can prolong life. Life expectancy after diagnosis ranges from two to four years, but some patients can survive for substantially longer. To learn more about amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, click here.
Funding is Essential
Boosts in funding can completely change the course of a scientific research project for the better. The grant will allow the entire pace of the project to be accelerated as well as gather the evidence necessary to expand the project further and ultimately obtain federal support.
Finding Therapies for ALS
There are currently just two FDA approved therapies for ALS, but their effectiveness in slowing the disease progression is far from consistent, and some patients don’t experience any benefit what so ever. The need for better treatments is truly desperate. However, Dr. Cowell’s team have identified some compounds that have the potential to slow or halt the death of neurons. The death of these cells is the result of over exposure to a stress response. These compounds could allow the cells to counteract the stress response instead of dying.
While the project is still probably years away from a drug discovery, the continued funding and support from grants will make its chances of success all the greater.
