from the M Health Lab Blog by Matt Trevor
A new study finds the immune systems for male and female patients with ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, react differently to the disease.
Researchers say it’s the first step toward finding specific treatments for subsets of patients that could be more effective than the one-size-fits-all options currently available or in the pipeline.
“We know that the immune system is clearly linked to ALS onset and progression,” says Eva L. Feldman, M.D., Ph.D., the Russell N. DeJong Professor of Neurology and director of the ALS Center of Excellence at Michigan Medicine. “This is important as there are many existing and FDA-approved, immune-based drugs that could be repurposed to treat ALS. But we need to figure out which groups of patients - like men or women, old or young - could benefit from each drug.”
Benjamin Murdock, PhD
