Amyotrophic Lateral SclerosisNCT05067179
Analysis of Human ALS Tissues and Registry of ALS Patients
An observational study of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, run by University of Illinois Chicago at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as Lou Gehrig's Disease, is a progressive, terminal condition of muscle weakness that is associated with degeneration of neurons in the spinal cord and brain. This devastating disorder afflicts people in the prime of their lives. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 90 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
- How many people
- 40 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 1 Sep 2020to 1 Jan 2030
- How long will I take part?
- 5 Years
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 90 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Study population: Patients aged > 18 years with a diagnosis of ALS being seen at the Neuromuscular Center Clinics, University of Illinois at Chicago
Who may be able to join
- Patients over the age of 18
- Established diagnosis of ALS
- Able and willing to give written informed consent and must authorize release and use of protected health information
Who cannot join
- Patients below the age of 18
- No diagnosis of ALS
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, Illinois, 60612
Ayo Fasawe, RN, MS, 312-413-7908, afasawe@uic.edu
Charles Abrams, MD, PhD
About this study
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as Lou Gehrig's Disease, is a progressive, terminal condition of muscle weakness that is associated with degeneration of neurons in the spinal cord and brain. This devastating disorder afflicts people in the prime of their lives. At the present time, there are no cures for this disorder, and current treatments are marginal at best. Despite years of intensive research, a fundamental understanding of this disease is still lacking. There is a need to identify both reliable markers of disease progression and effective treatments. The goal of this research is to bring a greater understanding of ALS patients closer to the research studies that can lead to new hypotheses and approaches.
Read the detailed description
Patients will be approached during in-person or phone/online appointments and asked their consent to enter information and results from their physical examinations, electrodiagnostic testing, and other testing done as a standard of care and into a database to monitor disease progression and use them for research purposes. Also, the patients will be asked for consent to undergo a MRI scan.
In a second informed consent form, patients will be enrolled to perform a rapid postmortem autopsy and have the tissue banked for research purposes. It is important to keep the consents separate because some patients may not consent to this postmortem study, but would consent to the premortem studies.
The information gained from the premortem studies will be used during the postmortem examination to select tissue for further processing. Tissue from different regions, including brain, spinal cord, nerve and muscle will be processed in parallel for cellular and molecular analyses that include histology, immunostaining, in situ hybridization, protein, RNA, and small molecule analyses.
- Conditions
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
- Keywords
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Lou Gehrig's Disease, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Neuromuscular Diseases, Nervous System Diseases
- Medical subject headings
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Neuromuscular Diseases, Nervous System Diseases
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Imaging biomarkers
High resolution 3T MRI T1, T2/FLAIR, DWI, SWI, MRS, and MT sequences at the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine and brainstem will be used to identify individual and combinatorial (of each sequence) changes to be used as clinical biomarkers of progression in cases with focal disease onset and spread. These will be compared to histologic and genomic changes in rapid postmortem tissues in the same areas. High resolution T1-weighted imaging is preferred for anatomical structure morphometry. The hypothesis is that spinal cord cross-sectional area decreases over time may be a sensitive MRI parameter to detect progression and respiratory distress. The aim is to develop a highly sensitive and specific, non-invasive measure of ALS progression in the spinal cord using a multi-parametric measurement scheme. Image sequences will be attained and a combinatorial statistical analysis performed to find the best biomarker of progression that could differ regardless of upper motor neuron involvement.
Measured: Within 6 months of participant enrollment
Molecular biomarkers
Tissue analyses will be performed to identify differentially expressed genes and histological differences from a rapid postmortem analysis of human ALS tissues from the same spinal cord levels and brainstem imaged on MRI, using an initial genomic analysis (RNAseq). Clinically meaningful biomarkers for disease progression will be validated through bioinformatics and confirmatory studies on human tissues and linked to imaging and clinical findings. Further analysis will look for differences in those with and without upper motor neuron involvement and for those taking or not taking drugs. Tissues will be stored for future studies.
Measured: Within 12 months of participant's passing
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted5 Oct 2021
- Study start1 Sep 2020
- Primary completion1 Jan 2030 (estimated)
- Study completion1 Jan 2030 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Amyotrophic Lateral SclerosisStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of Illinois ChicagoThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Case only
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Enrolment
- 40 participants (estimated)
- Target duration
- 5 Years
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Illinois Chicago
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Tanabe Pharma America, Inc.
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Jeffrey A Loeb, University of Illinois Chicago
- Investigators
- Jeffrey Loeb, MD, Principal investigator, University of Illinois Chicago
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05067179
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2013-0748
- Status last verified
- Jul 2026
- First submitted
- 7 Sep 2021
- Last updated
- 8 Jul 2026
- Results posted
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 8 Jul 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Analysis of Human ALS Tissues and Registry of ALS Patients
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05067179
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 2013-0748
- Conditions
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
- Keywords
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Lou Gehrig's Disease, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Neuromuscular Diseases, Nervous System Diseases
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 40 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University of Illinois ChicagoUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Tanabe Pharma America, Inc.
- Study start
- 1 Sep 2020 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 1 Jan 2030 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 1 Jan 2030 (estimated)
- First posted
- 5 Oct 2021 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as Lou Gehrig's Disease, is a progressive, terminal condition of muscle weakness that is associated with degeneration of neurons in the spinal cord and brain. This devastating disorder afflicts people in the prime of their lives. At the present time, there are no cures for this disorder, and current treatments are marginal at best. Despite years of intensive research, a fundamental understanding of this disease is still lacking. There is a need to identify both reliable markers of disease progression and effective treatments. The goal of this research is to bring a greater understanding of ALS patients closer to the research studies that can lead to new hypotheses and approaches.
Detailed description
Patients will be approached during in-person or phone/online appointments and asked their consent to enter information and results from their physical examinations, electrodiagnostic testing, and other testing done as a standard of care and into a database to monitor disease progression and use them for research purposes. Also, the patients will be asked for consent to undergo a MRI scan.
In a second informed consent form, patients will be enrolled to perform a rapid postmortem autopsy and have the tissue banked for research purposes. It is important to keep the consents separate because some patients may not consent to this postmortem study, but would consent to the premortem studies.
The information gained from the premortem studies will be used during the postmortem examination to select tissue for further processing. Tissue from different regions, including brain, spinal cord, nerve and muscle will be processed in parallel for cellular and molecular analyses that include histology, immunostaining, in situ hybridization, protein, RNA, and small molecule analyses.
Study design
- Observational model
- Case only
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Target follow-up
- 5 Years
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 90 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- Patients aged > 18 years with a diagnosis of ALS being seen at the Neuromuscular Center Clinics, University of Illinois at Chicago
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Patients over the age of 18
- Established diagnosis of ALS
- Able and willing to give written informed consent and must authorize release and use of protected health information
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Patients below the age of 18
- No diagnosis of ALS
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Primary outcome
Imaging biomarkers
Time frame: Within 6 months of participant enrollment
High resolution 3T MRI T1, T2/FLAIR, DWI, SWI, MRS, and MT sequences at the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine and brainstem will be used to identify individual and combinatorial (of each sequence) changes to be used as clinical biomarkers of progression in cases with focal disease onset and spread. These will be compared to histologic and genomic changes in rapid postmortem tissues in the same areas. High resolution T1-weighted imaging is preferred for anatomical structure morphometry. The hypothesis is that spinal cord cross-sectional area decreases over time may be a sensitive MRI parameter to detect progression and respiratory distress. The aim is to develop a highly sensitive and specific, non-invasive measure of ALS progression in the spinal cord using a multi-parametric measurement scheme. Image sequences will be attained and a combinatorial statistical analysis performed to find the best biomarker of progression that could differ regardless of upper motor neuron involvement.
Molecular biomarkers
Time frame: Within 12 months of participant's passing
Tissue analyses will be performed to identify differentially expressed genes and histological differences from a rapid postmortem analysis of human ALS tissues from the same spinal cord levels and brainstem imaged on MRI, using an initial genomic analysis (RNAseq). Clinically meaningful biomarkers for disease progression will be validated through bioinformatics and confirmatory studies on human tissues and linked to imaging and clinical findings. Further analysis will look for differences in those with and without upper motor neuron involvement and for those taking or not taking drugs. Tissues will be stored for future studies.
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 8 Jul 2026.
Related trials for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
RecruitingPhase 1/2
Study is to Assess the Safety and Tolerability of VTx-002 in Participants With ALS
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Not yet recruiting
A Study on the Addition of Alsum30 for the Treatment of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Bacillus Coagulans
Active, not recruiting
Functional Outcomes and Control Using Synchron BCI - Australia
Neurologic Disorder, Neurologic Diseases
Not yet recruitingPhase 1
Safety, Tolerability, and Pharmacodynamic Exploration of Orelabrutinib in Patients With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
Recruiting
Clinical Outcome Assessment for AT & BCI
Spinal Cord Injury, ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis)
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Jeffrey Loeb, MD principal investigator
University of Illinois Chicago
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, run by University of Illinois Chicago at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 8 Jul 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Ayo Fasawe (312-413-7908, afasawe@ilstu.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Imaging biomarkers (time frame: Within 6 months of participant enrollment). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 8 Jul 2026.