What is ALS? Why do we need to solve it? Why are we doing this challenge?
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating progressive nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. The disorder causes a loss of muscle control, impacting a person’s ability to walk, speak, swallow, breathe — every aspect of their lives. It is always fatal.
As a cause cannot be identified for most cases of ALS, there is no effective treatment to halt, or reverse, the progression of the disease. There are two pharmacological agents that have been FDA approved for the treatment of ALS – Riluzole (Rilutek) and Edaravone (Radicava). Both drugs, however, only provide modest benefits. Hence, we see an urgent need to fill this gap.
This is why GenieUs and Arctoris have designed the 12-week drug discovery challenge – to see if they can discover a robust, safe, and efficacious treatment in record time.
The advancements and application of genomic technology is largely considered to be the most effective way of generating translational breakthroughs in ALS. GenieUs has been organising, comparing, and studying genomic data since the company’s inception in January 2017. By using this precise data to guide them, they have gained deep insight that has led them on a quest to offer world class patient therapeutic solutions.
Arctoris is revolutionising the R&D process. They recognise that data is the lifeblood of research, and that better data leads to better decisions. The company is built on robotics, AI, and the blockchain where they validate novel targets for drug discovery programs. Their unique technology generates highly reliable and reproducible data, leading to faster progression into the next development stage.
The two innovative companies have joined forces where Arctoris will be bringing Genius’s genomic insights to life. The collaboration hopes to accelerate the field of ALS and prove that original challenges like these can be instrumental in producing valuable and interesting results. Of course, we hope we can achieve our goal, but if not, the learnings will be invaluable.
Keep up to date with our progress, as we attempt to make a breakthrough discovery in ALS treatment in only 12 weeks.