Biomarkers in ALS to Aid in Earlier Diagnosis, Clinical Trials, and Monitor Impact of Therapies.

Guest Speaker Dr. Robert Bowser, Ph.D. will discuss Biomarkers in ALS to Aid in Earlier Diagnosis, Select Patients for Clinical Trials, and Monitor Impact of Therapies. Dr. Robert Bowser, PhD is an internationally-recognized leader in ALS research. He has pioneered the research into the discovery and validation of biomarkers for ALS. These biomarkers can be useful for diagnosis and for measuring disease progression. Biomarkers are quite useful in assessing the effectiveness of drugs in clinical trials, including the recently published topline Phase 3 results for the NurOwn mesenchymal stem cell therapy. As director of the ALS Research Center, Dr. Bowser directs research to determine the underlying mechanisms of ALS, identify new targets for drug treatment, develop improved therapies for ALS, and lead clinical research studies performed in numerous medical centers throughout North America.Dr. Bowser obtained his PhD from Yale University. He performed fellowship training at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He joined the faculty at Barrow Neurological Institute in 2011. Now he runs the Bowser Lab at Barrow, which is conducting landmark research into ALS. The goal of the Bowser Lab is to develop diagnostic biomarkers for ALS and to identify biochemical pathways that are altered early in disease. ALS is a heterogeneous disorder, which makes finding effective treatments challenging. The best treatment will likely be a combination of drug therapies. If, however, we could identify subpopulations of ALS patients, it might be possible to create a more personalized approach to treatment. The Bowser Lab is exploring methods to identify biomarkers that distinguish subpopulations of ALS patients. These biomarkers could be useful for targeting drug treatments to subpopulations that have a higher probability of responding to treatment. Mutations in two RNA binding proteins (TDP-43 and FUS) cause familial forms of ALS. This highlights the importance of normal RNA metabolism in the health of motor neurons. The Bowser Lab has discovered additional RNA and DNA binding proteins that are altered in ALS patients. Dr. Bowser is the author of 194 peer-reviewed studies that you can find on PubMed.gov. Among those studies are the following: Neurofilaments in pre-symptomatic ALS and the impact of genotype (2019) Fluid-Based Biomarkers for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. (2017) Multicenter validation of CSF neurofilaments as diagnostic biomarkers for ALS. (2016) Label-Free LC-MS/MS Proteomic Analysis of CSF Identifies Protein/Pathway Alterations & Candidate Biomarkers for ALS. (2015). RBM45 Modulates the Antioxidant Response in ALS through Interactions with KEAP1. (2015) Glycolysis upregulation is neuroprotective as a compensatory mechanism in ALS. (2019) Lipid and polymer blended polyester nanoparticles loaded with adapalene for activation of retinoid signalling in the CNS following IV administration. (2019) Immunoprecipitation & mass spectrometry defines an extensive RBM45 protein-protein interaction network. (2016) Artificial intelligence in neurodegenerative disease research: use of IBM Watson to identify additional RNA-binding proteins altered in ALS. (2017).