biopharmaceuticals
ALS: Fighting a Devastating Disease ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that causes the brain to lose control over body movement, ultimately resulting in paralysis and death. About 20,000-30,000 people suffer from ALS in the U.S. The one drug currently available to treat ALS can modestly slow progression of the disease, but new treatments are needed and researchers are working to deliver on the promise of growing scientific understanding. They are pursuing many new approaches to halt or slow the disease. Some approaches involve the use of the patient’s own bone marrow stem-cells to create healthy neuron-like cells to replace diseased neurons. Other trials are studying ways to prompt the immune system to protect neurons affected by ALS.