The ALS Association to
Support Trial of Lithium

The ALS Association is funding a major clinical trial to determine if lithium can slow disease progression in patients in the early stages of ALS. The study builds on earlier promising results from preclinical research and a small, open-label investigation in ALS patients.

“Lithium has generated a lot of interest in the ALS community,” according to Lucie Bruijn, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Research and Development of The ALS Association. “This trial is vital for testing the efficacy of lithium in a well-controlled way. It’s the crucial next step for investigating the potential of this drug.”

The trial is being supported through The Association’s TREAT ALS (Translational Research Advancing Therapies for ALS) initiative, and will use the TREAT ALS/NEALS Clinical Trials Network. Lead investigators for the study will be Merit Cudkowicz, M.D., and Swati Aggarwal, M.D., of Massachusetts General Hospital, Lorne Zinman, M.D., from the University of Toronto, Petra Kaufman, M.D., from Columbia University, and Jeremy Shefner, M.D., of SUNY Upstate Medical University.

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