ALS Research Roundup
Your monthly dose of all things ALS!
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By Benjamin Musrie, Medical Researcher. Sydney, Australia.
GenieUs genomics announced the introduction of their very own newsletter last month — the ‘ALS research roundup’. It is a curated snapshot of recent research in the field of the neurodegenerative disorder — Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We present brief overviews of academic research published each month across a range of mechanistic and therapeutic topics, with a particular focus on potential clinical applications.
ALS is a devastating progressive nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. The disorder causes a loss of muscle control, impacting an individual’s ability to walk, speak, swallow, breathe — every aspect of their lives. Currently, there is no cure and no effective treatment to halt or reverse the progression of the disease and so, there is an urgent need to fill this gap.
In recent years, efforts have grown in the fight to end ALS. New genes connected to the disease have been discovered, access to multidisciplinary care has expanded and more treatments are undergoing clinical trials. The application of novel genomic methods is largely considered to be the most effective way of generating translational breakthroughs in ALS.
At GenieUs, we don’t think that neurodegenerative diseases occur the same way in each person. In fact, our own data tells us the opposite. Thus, the ‘one size fits all’ therapeutic option wouldn’t make sense. This means that the solution we are looking for will require a much more ‘personalised’ mode of thinking. This is why we have constructed our own multi-omics approach.
This progressive multi-omics approach can be thought of as a collaborative network of different omic strategies such as genomics, proteomics, microbiome, transcriptomics, and epigenomics among others for each individual. By using this multi-layered data to guide us, we can deepen our understanding of the individual drivers of these diseases and build sharper tools to tackle them.
Our aim is to deliver world class patient solutions by analysing multiple different types of data. The result — accurate diagnostic tests and streamlined therapeutics.
GenieUs is all about embracing the complexity. We want to find a holistic approach to understanding ALS in a way that is respectful of the details without ignoring the larger picture. Respecting the brain and its evolution will be the key to major breakthroughs.
If you would like to keep up to date with all the latest on ALS, please subscribe to our monthly newsletter in the link below:
The next one will be available in August…
