Analyzing macrophages in ALS and related motor impairments

Expression Profile Study of Macrophages From Patients Affected by Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or Other Related Motor Impairments

This study is trying to see if looking at certain immune cells in people with ALS and related motor issues can help find new ways to treat the disease.

Quick facts

• Study type: Observational
• Enrollment: 180 (estimated)
• Ages: 18 Years and up
• Sex: All
• Sponsor: Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale, France (Government)
• Locations: 1 site (Paris)
• Trial ID: NCT04816227 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This project aims to analyze the transcriptome and protein markers of macrophages from patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and other motor impairments, comparing them to non-affected individuals and asymptomatic ALS gene carriers. The study seeks to identify new therapeutic targets and biomarkers for ALS by examining the role of microglial cells and peripheral macrophages in the disease process. By understanding the differences in macrophage profiles, researchers hope to uncover pathways that could lead to improved treatment options for ALS patients.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal candidates include individuals diagnosed with ALS, those with a family history of ALS, or patients with other specified motor impairments.

Not a fit: Patients who do not have ALS or related motor impairments and do not have a family history of the disease may not benefit from this study.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this study could lead to the identification of new therapeutic targets and biomarkers for ALS, potentially improving patient outcomes.

How similar studies have performed: Other studies have explored macrophage roles in neurodegenerative diseases, suggesting potential pathways for therapeutic intervention, but this specific approach is relatively novel.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

* Agree to participate in this research and have signed an informed consent
* Be able to understand the objectives and procedures of the study
* Be affiliated to French social security or equivalent
* Meet one of the criteria below:

  (i) Be affected by Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) definite, probable or possible (El Escorial criteria) sporadic SALS (no known history in the family) or familial FALS (at least one other member of the family affected), (ii) not being affected by ALS but having a close relative who has or has been diagnosed with ALS and has or is a carrier of a known mutation causing ALS and has consented to a genetic analysis, (iii) Have a motor impairment including the following pathologies: Motor neuropathy, myopathy, Myositis, Spastic paraplegia, Cram / fasciculation syndrome, Chronic inflammatory polyradiculitis, somatization disorder, Anterior spinal artery syndrome, encephalitis, myelitis, Peroneal neuropathy, cervical myelopathy with radiculopathy, spinocerebellar ataxia, Kennedy disease, Spinal atrophy, Hereditary distal motor neuropathy.

(iv) be accompanying a person with ALS or other motor impairment that is followed by one of the doctors from the ALS referral center at the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital or by a neurologist from the neurophysiology department at the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Be subjected to a legal protection measure (safeguard of justice, curatorship or guardianship)
* Refusing to participate in the study
* Whose condition, in the opinion of the doctor, is incompatible with blood draw or participation in research
* Being pregnant or breastfeeding

Where this trial is running

Paris

• Département de Neurologie, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière — Paris, France (Recruiting)

Study contacts

• Study coordinator: François SALACHAS, MD

Conditions Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis