Experimental Stroke Drug Brings New Hope for Neurodegenerative Disease

A recent study examines the potentials of an experimental stroke drug that could hold promise for individuals suffering from Lou Gehrig's disease.

The Keck School of Medicine of USC neuroscientists note that they've unlocked a piece of the puzzle to fight the disease.

"We know that both people and transgenic rodents afflicted with this disease develop spontaneous breakdown of the blood-spinal cord barrier, but how these microscopic lesions affect the development of the disease has been unclear," said Berislav V. Zlokovic, M.D., Ph.D., the study's principal investigator and director of the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute at USC, via a press release. "In this study, we show that early motor neuron dysfunction related to the disease in mice is proportional to the degree of damage to the blood-spinal cord barrier and that restoring the integrity of the barrier delays motor neuron degeneration. We are hopeful that we can apply these findings to the corresponding disease mechanism in people. "

Researchers discovered that this experimental drug that's currently being studied in human stroke patients appears to protect the blood-spinal cord barriers composition in mice and even delay motor neuron impairment and degeneration. This activated protein C analog is known as 3K3A-APC and was developed by the start-up company ZZ Biotech.

Though there is currently no cure for this neurodegenerative disease of which approximately 15 people in the United States are diagnosed with every day, according to the ALS Association, researchers note that they hope to this drug, along with devices and therapies, can help those suffering from the health issue better manage symptoms.

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More information regarding the findings were presented at the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.