Stress granules: neuroprotective or neurotoxic in ALS pathogenesis?
Project Overview
ALS is a devastatingly fatal neurodegenerative disease with patients losing their ability to walk, talk, eat, and interact with their loved ones. With the exception of SOD1 families, despite decades of research, we have yet to identify a truly disease-modifying therapy for ALS. We believe that this is due not only to the complexity of the disease but also our incomplete understanding of the mechanisms that trigger disease and drive its progression. In addition, there is a complex and poorly understood relationship between genetics and environmental factors in ALS. There is a longstanding hypothesis in the field that a mechanism linked to how neurons manage exposures to environmental factors may be important to the development of ALS. Our proposal is aims to address directly whether this mechanism is helpful or hurtful to neurons. Ultimately, this will inform on the direction of therapeutics targeting this pathway.
Principal Investigator
Christine Vande Velde , Université de Montréal
Partners and Donors
ALS Canada