ApoA1 Identified as a Novel Target for ALS Therapy

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also called Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder that affects approximately 350,000 people worldwide.¹ Most cases of ALS have no identified cause, and there is currently no cure for this disease. ALS attacks and damages nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, leading to loss of muscle control.² Most ALS research focuses on the study and treatment of motor neurons; however, researchers now believe that dyslipidemia—the imbalance of lipids such as cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglycerides—is also an important component of ALS disease pathology.³ Researchers have also observed dyslipidemia in other nervous system disorders, making its study even more important.⁴

Studies have shown that alterations in neurovascular unit function—the relationship between brain cells and blood vessels—are associated with ALS onset, and lipid metabolism plays a major role in vascular maintenance.5,6,7 “Since there is neurovascular impairment and no ...