Important funding from the US Department of Defense to Prof. Peviani for the validation of new therapies and biomarkers for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

(Versione italiana nell'articolo correlato) Prof. Marco Peviani, head of the CMNlab (Cellular and Molecular Neuropharmacology Lab) located at the Department of Biology and Biotechnology of the University of Pavia, has obtained a significant international recognition, the Therapeutic Idea Award - Biomarker Option provided by the US Department of Defense (DoD).

This award belongs to a specific funding program (the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Research Program, ALSRP) aimed at finding effective treatments for people affected by Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Through its highly competitive allocation mechanisms, ALSRP specifically supports high-impact research with excellent potential to develop treatments for ALS.

ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects motor neurons, the cells in our nervous system that control the movement of voluntary muscles. ALS can be difficult to diagnose because the initial symptoms can be attributed to numerous other conditions. The disease often starts with muscle spasms and weakness in a limb or difficulty articulating words and progresses to affect all the muscles necessary for movement, speaking, eating, and breathing. Currently, there is no cure for ALS, but there are treatments that can help manage symptoms and improve patients' quality of life.

A biomarker is an indicator of a pathological state or response to a drug. For ALS, there are still no validated disease biomarkers, which could contribute to early diagnosis, monitor disease progression, and facilitate the development of effective and personalized therapies.

The awarded project aims to develop a new potential therapeutic approach and simultaneously validate a response biomarker and has been judged winner and eligible for funding by the ALSRP-Therapeutic Idea Award - Biomarker Option program with an allocation of approximately $790,000. 

This project has as external partners the "Carlo Besta" Institute in Milan and the Boston Children's Hospital in Boston (USA) and the support provided by the Research Office of the University of Pavia was fundamental for the awarding of this important prize.

From 2007 to 2022, 189 projects funded by ALSRP are registered. This is the first case in which such funding is awarded to a project leader affiliated exclusively with an Italian institution. Moreover, for Prof. Peviani, this is the second time such funding has been awarded (the first time, dating back to 2016, with affiliation to the Dana-Farber-Cancer Institute, Boston, USA).

To follow the developments of CMNlab's research (Keep in touch with CMNlab’s research), visiti the lab's website.