The potential of the hormone that regulates appetite to treat ALS patients

Carmen María Fernández-Martos

Project awarded in collaboration with the Fundación Luzón

  • PROJECT LEADER

    Carmen María Fernández-Martos

  • HOST ORGANIZATION, COUNTRY

    Fundación Hospital Nacional de Parapléjicos. Toledo, Spain

  • DESCRIPTION

    Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease of muscular type, which causes a progressive paralysis of mortal prognosis. To date, there is no effective treatment to stop this pathology, which affects up to three people per 100,000 inhabitants in Europe.

    New scientific evidence shows the positive relationship between risk factors associated with current lifestyle, related to metabolism and ALS. In fact, obesity is associated with a lower risk of developing ALS and confers a survival advantage on patients with the disease because of its direct impact on metabolism.

    Obesity affects leptin, a hormone with a key role in regulating appetite and inflammation. The project will analyze its relationship with the risk of developing ALS to find new therapies to treat this disease.

  • CONSORTIUM
    (PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR, ORGANIZATION, COUNTRY)

    • Nuria Del Olmo Izquierdo, CEU-San Pablo University, Spain

    • Jemeen Sreedharan, King’s College London, UK

    • Reinald Pamplona Gras, Universitat de IRBLleida, Spain

    • Anna King, Wicking Dementia Centre, University of Tasmania, Australia

  • PROJECT TITLE

    A potential metabolic-targeted therapeutic for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS): Leptin

  • BUDGET

    €499,979