Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), sometimes called Lou Gehrig's disease, is a rapidly progressive, invariably fatal neurological disease that attacks the nerve cells (motor neurons) responsible for controlling voluntary muscles. Eventually the ability of the brain to start and control voluntary movement is lost. Most people with ALS die from respiratory failure, usually within 3 to 5 years from the onset of symptoms. ALS affects between 30,000 to 50,000 Americans with 5,000 new cases diagnosed yearly.

Maas Biolab has been granted an FDA Orphan Drug Designation for cyclosporin for the treatment of ALS and similar diseases.

Maas scientists have developed a proprietary cyclosporin formula that will be delivered to the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) using an implanted pump. Using this method the cyclosporin neuroprotective agent will be able to reach the areas of the brain where it is needed most, in this case the motor neurons of spinal cord, brain stem and motor strip. The Maas approach differs from cyclosporin ALS research conducted in the late 1980's in which the drug was administered orally. The cyclosporin given in those 1980's studies was unlikely to penetrate the membranes that lie between the circulating blood and central nervous systems and could not cross the "blood-brain barrier" and thus unfortunately did not get to the neurons to have a neuroprotective effect. Development of the intrathecal (into the CSF) ALS treatment is currently the primary focus of Maas Biolab. Cyclosporin delivered directly to the brain and spinal cord will have bypassed the blood-brain barrier and could extend motor neuron survival, motor strength and lifespan.


See Cyclosporin ALS Research Articles