Cedars-Sinai receives $11.99 million from CIRM to launch ALS clinical trial

Cedars-Sinai has been awarded $11.99 million by California’s stem cell agency to launch a clinical trial testing a potential gene and stem cell therapy for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that damages nerve cells known as motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement. It affects an estimated 16,000 people in the U.S. and is usually fatal within five years of diagnosis. There is no known cure and only limited treatments that may slow progression in a subset of patients.