Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease which affects nerve cells in the spinal cord and brainstem, causing loss of muscle control. There is currently no cure for this orphan disease, with 700 Israelis affected by ALS today. NeuroSense is ‘cautiously optimistic’ about their novel combination drug PrimeC, which is composed of two FDA approved pharmaceuticals (Ciprofloxacin and Celecoxib). These two compounds work synergistically to alleviate the symptoms caused by ALS. PrimeC targets multiple pathologies, mitigating the degeneration and inflammatory response of the motor neuron, and has significantly outperformed the current conventional medication, Riluzole, on a zebrafish model. The zebrafish model is often used for clinical testing, due to its similar genome sequence, optical transparency, and fast reproduction rate. NeuroSense is hoping to start clinical trials to determine whether PrimeC is able to slow down or entirely stop the progression of the disease in ALS patients.
Often large pharmaceutical companies neglect ALS due to the high barriers to entry alongside the relatively small market size. However, recent developments have been made in ALS research and NeuroSense hopes to improve the lives of patients suffering from this destructive disease.
