PLUS ALS

PLUS ALS is the name of an international collaboration between the ALS Centrum Netherlands (UMC Utrecht) en ALS Centre Leuven (UZ/KU Leuven) to accelerate ALS clinical research.

PLUS ALS is launching a new biomarker platform that will allow researchers to determine earlier and more reliably whether new drugs are effective. Funded by the Romo Foundation, this five-year project brings together the expertise of both ALS centers.

Why PLUS ALS?

In recent years, our knowledge of ALS has grown significantly. Thanks to new laboratory techniques, disease processes can be increasingly well-measured using so-called biomarkers, such as proteins in the blood or neuroimaging techniques like MRI, to visualize the activity and progression of the disease.

However, most of these measurement methods have barely been tested in people with ALS. PLUS ALS aims to change this: for the first time, multiple biomarkers will be studied simultaneously and over time within the same group of ALS patients. This approach will make it possible to quickly determine which measurement methods are most suitable and which new drugs have the highest chance of success.

Collaboration and expertise

The project builds on a long-standing collaboration between the two national reference centers for ALS. Both centers contribute complementary expertise to the initiative.

The project is supported by the Dutch ALS Foundation, ALS Liga Belgie en de Dutch ALS patient association and uses the international research initiative TRICALS.

The people behind PLUS ALS