UM Doctor To Lead Clinical Trial For ALS

Southfield (WWJ)  -- A University of Michigan neurologist is the principal investigator for the first human clinical trial of a stem cell treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Dr. Eva Feldman has worked with a team of neurologists to develop the protocol for injecting neural stem into patients' spinal cords. The cells are patented by Neuralstem Inc., a Rockville, Md.-based biotech company.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Neuralstem's plan to test the safety of the treatment for the fatal, untreatable neurodegenerative disorder commonly called Lou Gehrig's Disease.

“We are very excited about this clinical trial,” said Feldman, the DeJong Professor of Neurology at the U-M Medical School. “This is a major stride forward in what still could be a long road to a new and improved treatment for ALS.

“ALS is a terrible disease that ultimately kills by paralysis. In work with animals, these spinal cord stem cells both protected at-risk motor neurons and made connections to the neurons controlling muscles.  We don’t want to raise expectations unduly, but we believe these stem cells could produce similar results in patients with ALS,” Feldman said.

Feldman spoke live on WWJ Tuesday morning.  Listen to what she said.  

The initial phase to determine the safety of the treatment is to take place at Emory University in Atlanta. 

Those interested in participating can call 404-778-7777.