As a nonprofit biotech, the ALS TDI’s sole mission is to develop treatments
for ALS. Our lab focuses on all areas of preclinical drug development so that
we can identify potential treatments and hand them off to be moved into
clinical development.
ALS TDI has validated several drugs to help them get moved into trials, but
AT-1501 is the first treatment that was actually invented by ALS TDI
scientists and moved into trials.
AT-1501 is a novel antibody which acts in a highly targeted, disease-specific
way to tamp down the immune system.
After being invented at ALS TDI, AT-1501 was advanced through clinical trials by
Anelixis Therapeutics, a for-profit clinical-stage development company. In 2019,
Anelixis successfully completed phase 1 trials of AT-1501. In 2020, Anelixis was
acquired by Novus Therapeutics (now Eledon Pharmaceuticals), a publicly traded company. Through this
acquisition, AT-1501 is expected to advance to the next stage of clinical
development, a phase 2 trial.
ALS TDI is extremely hopeful that AT-1501 will continue to be advanced through
trials for ALS, and that it will eventually be made available as a treatment for
people living with ALS today.