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Updated: Feb 15, 2026

ALS - Motor Neuron Disease: Mechanism and Development of New Therapies
Published on: July 29, 2007
Incorporating upper motor neuron health in ALS drug discovery
Ina Dervishi1, P Hande Ozdinler2
1Department of Neurology and Clinical Neurological Sciences, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
Abstract:
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a complex disease, that affects the motor neuron circuitry. After consecutive failures in clinical trials for the past 20 years, edaravone was recently approved as the second drug for ALS. This generated excitement in the field revealed the need to improve preclinical assays for continued success. Here, we focus on the importance and relevance of upper motor neuron (UMN) pathology in ALS, and discuss how incorporation of UMN survival in preclinical assays will improve inclusion criteria for clinical trials and expedite the drug discovery effort in ALS and related motor neuron diseases.
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