Clinical Trials

The purpose of this study is to collect biofluid samples for the banking and usage in ALS research. Through comparison of these samples, the researchers hope to learn more about the underlying cause of ALS, as well as find unique biological markers, which could be used to develop new therapies.

The purpose of this study is to collect CSF and blood samples that can be used in future research studies to identify potential biomarkers in blood and CSF collected in ALS patients. Biomarkers are non-genetic elements in your blood and CSF that may help us diagnose and monitor ALS more easily. There are no readily available sources of longitudinal CSF, plasma or serum samples from people with ALS, ALS-FTD or similar neurodegenerative disorders or their family members for use in the identification of potential ALS biomarkers. Future research will examine potential biomarkers in blood and CSF collected over time to see if they change over time and can be used to diagnose and monitor people with ALS.

The purpose of this study is to collect and study blood samples that can be used in current and future research studies to identify genetic risk factors in ALS and identify potential biomarkers in blood collected in ALS patients. Biomarkers are non-genetic elements in your blood that may help us diagnose and monitor ALS more easily. There are no readily available sources of longitudinal DNA, RNA, monocytes, serum or plasma from people with ALS, ALS-FTD or similar neurodegenerative disorders or their family members for use in the identification of potential changes in gene structure over time or biomarkers in ALS. Future research will examine genes associated with the risk of ALS and potential biomarkers in blood collected over time to see if they change over time and can be used to diagnose and monitor people with ALS. This information is important for development of new medications for the treatment of ALS.

This study is intended to obtain clinical information and establish a repository of DNA, RNA, peripheral blood monocyte, lymphocyte and skin tissue samples from people with ALS and related neurodegenerative motor neuron diseases, people with a family history of these conditions, and healthy people with no family history of these disorders. The samples will be used in future research to learn about how these disorders affect people, what causes these conditions, and how the investigators can tell when someone has this kind of disease. Future research may also include the generation of stem cells from stored blood cell and skin cell samples. Participants will not be paid for taking part in this study.

The goals of this study are to identify biomarkers that allow improved staging or prognosis of the disease, and through the discovery of previously unrecognized immune abnormalities in ALS we aim to eventually identify immune therapies that may provide benefit in ALS.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate and rank-order a set of new outcome measures administered to patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), in order to identify measures that are more sensitive to disease progression than the current Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale-Revised (ALSFRS-R).

The purpose of this study is so that blood (plasma and blood cells) and/or extra spinal fluid (which was taken for clinical purposes) can be obtained and stored for later research on a large cohort of patients with progressive motor neuronopathies and neuropathies, many of which will be determined to suffer from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). 

This study proposes to identify the molecular defect in families with a clinical phenotype of “probable Inclusion Body Myositis” (“probable IBM”) but affecting  more than one family members, with or without family history of ALS.

This study is intended to obtain clinical information and establish a repository of DNA, RNA, peripheral blood monocyte, lymphocyte and skin tissue samples from people with ALS and related neurodegenerative motor neuron diseases, people with a family history of these conditions, and healthy people with no family history of these disorders. The samples will be used in future research to learn about how these disorders affect people, what causes these conditions, and how the investigators can tell when someone has this kind of disease. Future research may also include the generation of stem cells from stored blood cell and skin cell samples. Participants will not be paid for taking part in this study.

The purpose of this study is to collect clinical data, serial blood samples for plasma, serum, DNA and RNA extraction, and a single time blood sample for peripheral blood monocytes for the preparation of stem cell lines and lymphocytes for the preparation of lymphoblastoid cell lines. There will also be a single time skin biopsy sample for tissue examination and preparation of skin fibroblasts from patients who have familial or sporadic ALS, ALS-FTD or similar neurodegenerative motor neuron disorders, and are participating in NINDS funded research projects in the Mayo Clinic ALS Center.