The ALS Therapy Development Institute announced today the titles of the talks and poster presentations its scientists will give at the 28th International Symposium on ALS/MND being held in Boston, Mass. on December 7, 8 and 9. Combined, this will be the largest ever presentation of data from ALS TDI at a scientific conference.

During the first day’s clinical meeting, CEO/CSO Steve Perrin, Ph.D. will give a platform talk entitled “Will telehealth revolutionize clinical care for ALS patients?”

For full information about the December meeting, click here.

In addition to Dr. Perrin’s platform presentation, the scientists of ALS TDI will be showcasing significant advancements through many important poster presentations. These posters will cover work done exploring potential new ways to measure disease progression using technology as well as potential blood based biomarkers, iPS cell level development and characterization, and genomic research done on PMP participants, among other key topics driving forward ALS research today. The posters currently accepted to be presented by ALS TDI scientists are:

  • Accelerometers as Non-Invasive Tools for the Objective Measurement of Limb Specific Range of Motion and Force in ALS.
  • Altered Metabolic Phenotype in Cells Derived from Genome Edited Human IPSCs that Express Mutant SOD1
  • An Evaluation of how the Chemical Properties of C9orf72 Dipeptide Repeat Proteins Affect Their Visualization
  • Assembling a Panel of Isogenic, Genome-Edited Human IPSCs Harboring SOD1 Mutations for Cellular Phenotype Discovery
  • Characterization of C9orf72 Dipeptide Repeat Protein Expression and Localization in Transfected Mammalian Cells
  • Detection of C9orf72 Allele Expansions in a Cohort of 277 ALS Patients and Control Subjects
  • Generating A Collection of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells from Primary Fibroblast Cultures Isolated from ALS Patients
  • Impaired Differentiation and Survival of Neural Progenitors Derived from Genome-Edited Human IPS Cells Lacking SOD1
  • Increased Aggregated SOD1 In Spinal Cord from SOD1(G93A) Transgenic Mice Correlates with Later Disease Onset and Improved Longevity.
  • Misfolded SOD1 Levels in Blood of SOD1(G93A) Transgenic Mice as Indicators of ALS Disease Progression
  • Tail Tip Fibroblast Cell Lines Generated from C9orf72 Transgenic Mice Express Proteins from RAN Translation

This will be the largest display of scientific work done at the ALS Therapy Development Institute at a science meeting. ALS TDI would like to specifically recognize the fact that none of this research to be reported would not have been possible without the philanthropic support it receives from people with ALS and their networks of support. 

Nearly 500 individuals from many different countries have participated in the Precision Medicine Program (PMP). The PMP at ALS TDI is the world's premier partnership between scientists and people with ALS to identify treatments and cures. This pioneering partnership has resulted in the creation of the largest, Patient-linked database integrating ALS genetics, voice recordings, lifestyle, demographics and accelerometer data. Enrollment remains open, has no cost to participants and requires no travel. 

Each of these participants provided data that was used by scientists to make the discoveries and research progress listed above, among others that are not being presented at this year’s Symposium. Individuals enrolled in ALS TDI’s Precision Medicine Program have been invited to participate in a special webinar during which the data presented at the Symposium will be presented and discussed.

As a patient-led organization with a deep commitment to being transparent, ALS TDI will host a public webinar soon after the data has been presented at the Symposium and directly to the PMP participant cohorts. To receive information about the time and date of that webinar individuals should subscribe to The Institute’s mailing list online here.

Members of the media interested in learning more about these presentations, or attending the Symposium are encouraged to email pr@als.net for more assistance in arranging day-passes or help setting up interviews.