For the first time, a useful drug was discovered in ALS

 

Ametrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, affects the brain and gradually makes a person unable to move or speak. It is also known as motor neurone disease which was an incurable disease till now but now we have got a new ray of hope from a new compound.

Scientists at Northwestern University have discovered the world's first compound that prevents the breakdown of nerve cells (neurons) that cause movement. Nerve damage exacerbates ALS, and the patient gradually becomes immobile and dies.

In ALS, all the nerves that control physical movements are degraded and we do not yet have any medicine or treatment to cure them. "We've discovered the first compound that can heal a sick upper motor neuron," says Hende Ozner, a co-professor at the university. This research has now been published.

A compound called NU9 has been developed in the laboratory. This reduces the folding of the wrong type of protein during the formation of vital cells. This compound is harmless and non-toxic on the one hand and can cross the brain and blood barrier on the other.

NU-9 works in two ways: preventing the protein from folding incorrectly and preventing the protein from clotting in the blood. We know that when proteins are not formed properly, they become toxic. In the same way, they cause severe damage to the human brain. Thus TDP 43 affects proteins. In 90% of ALS cases, the TDP 43 protein is affected and causes neurodegeneration.

When the chemical was used on rats, the affected neurons began to recover, and this has been shown in rats. Further aspects of this chemical will be considered in the next phase of research.