Understanding immune signals in ALS to guide future therapies
Official title: Characterization of Antigen-Specific Immune Response in ALS
Funded at Mayo Clinic Arizona · NIH-11599623 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A Mayo Clinic team will study how the immune system sees proteins in the brain of people with ALS and related conditions, to find clues for better treatments.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Mayo Clinic Arizona NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Scottsdale, United States) |
| Project start | August 11, 2025 |
| Project end | July 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $2,455,899 |
| NIH project number | 7RF1NS142171-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11599623 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with ALS or ALS/FTD spectrum who provide brain- or immune-related samples, and control subjects for comparison.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals without ALS/FTD or without available samples may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
This project looks at how immune cells in the brain recognize ALS-related proteins and whether these immune responses contribute to disease. Researchers will analyze brain-derived samples from people with ALS/FTD and compare them to controls to map which proteins are presented to T cells. The study uses an unbiased search to find self- and non-self proteins that may trigger immune reactions in ALS, aiming to create a clearer map of immune involvement in this condition. The goal is to uncover immune pathways that could become targets for therapies in ALS and the ALS/FTD spectrum.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify immune targets that lead to new treatments for ALS and related cognitive involvement.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies have linked immune changes to ALS, but a comprehensive brain-immune map in human samples is still being established.
Where this research is happening
-
Mayo Clinic Arizona
Scottsdale, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Elyaman, Wassim — Mayo Clinic Arizona
- Study coordinator: Elyaman, Wassim
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.