Last week, MediciNova announced that they have enrolled 30 PALS in their Phase 2 clinical trial of MN-166, also known as Ibudilast. The trial is enrolling people diagnosed with ALS at a single site in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. These types of announcements are common in clinical research programs. MediciNova and the study’s principal investigator, Benjamin Brooks, M.D., are seeking a total of 60 PALS for participation. At the pace currently, it is estimated the trial may become fully enrolled by the end of 2015 and results from the study should be available by the middle of 2016.
Ibudilast (MN-166) is thought to help motor neurons stay alive by modifying the presence of amino acids, called cytokines, which cause motor neurons and supporting cells to become puffy or inflamed. Tamping down the expression of certain pro-inflammatory cytokines is an approach of great interest in the ALS research field. For more information on this clinical trial, including links to relevant research papers and comments from people in the clinical trial itself, click here.
The ALS Therapy Development Institute encourages PALS and their families to become informed about the current ALS clinical trials and research. We provided an overview of 14 different clinical trials during a recent webinar with our CEO, Dr. Steve Perrin earlier this month. You can access that webinar by clicking here.
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