$50,000 awarded to Aakanksha Singh, a PhD student supervised by Dr. Sanjay Kalra at the University of Alberta.
ALS is a heterogenous disease, meaning every person living with ALS will be affected differently. This is one of the main challenges in finding effective treatments for ALS, as these differences can affect symptom progression and management, individual responses to potential treatments, and clinical trial participation. To address the disease’s complexity and heterogeneity, Aakanksha’s research will combine molecular data (such as genetic and cellular markers) with neuroimaging data (brain scans) from people living with ALS. The project will leverage both CALSNIC and CAPTURE ALS datasets, two previously funded Canadian research platforms that have collected comprehensive biological information from people living with ALS.
With the help of artificial intelligence (AI), the combined data will be analyzed to identify patterns that may predict how ALS will progress in different individuals, as well as disease severity. The ultimate goal is to create a unique disease profile for each person living with ALS, potentially identify different ALS subtypes, and help clinicians create individualized treatment plans for people living with the disease.
Aakanksha’s research aims to not only help us better understand disease progression, but the ability to subtype people living with ALS could also have a direct impact on enhancing clinical trial outcomes, as participants can be matched to clinical trials that best suit their unique disease profile, potentially leading to faster progress in finding effective treatments.
OUR CONTINUOUS SUPPORT
The ALS Canada Research Program is a proud supporter and funder of CALSNIC and CAPTURE ALS. CAPTURE ALS is a Canadian platform uniting people living with ALS, physicians, and researchers to create the most comprehensive biological picture of people with ALS. Data collected from CAPTURE ALS can provide us with the opportunity to significantly accelerate the development of effective treatments for the disease.
Read more about CAPTURE ALS and how to participate in the study.
ALS Canada could not have supported groundbreaking Canadian research platforms like CALSNIC and CAPTURE ALS without your help. Make a donation today to support leading research initiatives across the country.
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