The HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology has been awarded a grant for $20,000 from the ALS Association to do a collaborative clinical research project with Crestwood Medical Center. 

The goal of the project is to develop a blood-based biomarker test for early detection and disease monitoring of ALS. ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. As many as 20,000 Americans live with ALS and 15 new cases are diagnosed in the U.S. every day. 

“A big challenge in developing new treatments for diseases like ALS is being able to know if the treatments are working. HudsonAlpha is applying cutting-edge genomic technology and expertise to identify biomarkers for ALS that could be used in clinical trials to measure effectiveness of new therapeutics,” said Richard M. Myers, PhD, HudsonAlpha Chief Scientific Officer. “We are grateful to work with the Crestwood and the ALS patients and families right here in Huntsville for this project.”

The project enrolls patients from the Crestwood ALS Care Clinic, the only ALS Association Treatment Center of Excellence in the state of Alabama. The center is led by co-medical directors David White, MD, and Aruna Arora, MD. 

“Crestwood is proud to have strong relationships with the ALS Chapter, HudsonAlpha and our patients who are battling ALS,” said Matthew Banks, Crestwood Medical Center Chief Executive Officer. “We strive to help improve the quality of life for ALS patients and are excited to have this collaboration with HudsonAlpha to better understand and treat this disease.”

To support research in ALS, please send donations to the HudsonAlpha Foundation at 601 Genome Way, NW, Huntsville, AL 35806 or hudsonalpha.org/donate.