$70,000

Duke ALS Clinic

In February 2024, we funded Dr. Richard Belack’s Pilot Trial to Target Biological Mechanisms Connected to the Body's Microbiome and investigate the Safety, Tolerability and Preliminary Efficacy of BL-001 Probiotic in People with ALS. 
The microbial ecosystem of the gut, known as the gut microbiome, is increasingly recognized as a potential mediator of both GI function and key bioactive disease-modulating metabolites in Central Nervous System diseases. More specifically, alteration of microbiome composition and/or defective host-microbiome interface has been suggested to contribute to the pathogenesis of neurological disorders, including ALS.  Conversely, the microbiome has also been identified as a source of key factors contributing to neuroprotection. There is growing evidence that microbiome-mediated metabolites modify neuronal transmission, synaptic plasticity, myelination, neuroinflammation, and complex host behaviors that might drive the pathogenesis of ALS.

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