Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a pathologically heterogeneous disorder which is thought to be underpinned by several molecular phenotypes with differing prognosis. Therefore, lack of prior stratification for trials may limit conclusions about underlying pathobiology. Instead, this study focuses on the oxidative stress predominant endophenotype of ALS (ox-ALS) thought to account for approximately 60% of sporadic ALS cases. We assess the biophysical and biochemical consequences of oxidative stress related TDP-43 pathology to identifying an imaging biomarker and paired therapeutic strategy using novel field cycling techniques.
This study aims to identify low field MRI biomarkers and generate a list of candidate biomarkers and paired therapeutic targets relevant to the oxidative stress subtype of ALS. The overarching aim of this pathology-stratified approach is to improve stratification of patients for personalised therapies, with the hope of improving therapeutic success by identifying the right people for the right therapy at the right time.
