Association pour la Recherche sur la SLA – ARSLA (France)

Association pour la Recherche sur la SLA – ARSLA

ARSLA is the French National Association for research on Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Founded in 1985, it works to discover treatments and ultimately a cure for ALS, and to advocate for people affected by the disease.  It offers several services to help and support the patients and their families. For example, it provides free equipment that improves quality of life, such as communication devices designed for the limitations of ALS.

Currently, there is no treatment available that can effectively slow down the progression of ALS. This lack of effective treatment is due, in part, to a crucial delay of 12-20 months in diagnosing ALS. This long delay prevents treatment from starting early in the course of the disease when there is still an opportunity to tackle the mechanisms underlying the progressive loss of motor neurons and slow them down.

In 2023/24, the Eurofins Foundation is contributing to a research project with the objective of developing a tool for early diagnosis based on cutting-edge corticospinal functional neuroimaging. It will apply corticospinal resting-state (RS) functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to measure spatial and dynamic changes in connectivity in the corticospinal tract. Results obtained here will allow researchers to confirm corticospinal alterations early in the disease course and establish such alterations as a marker for disease diagnosis.

As an association that advocates for the well-being of ALS patients, ARSLA believes that this project has the potential to create an important impact on the lives of patients in the early stages of the disease, facilitating their diagnosis and increasing the chances of available treatment that has beneficial effects.

This project contributes to the following United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals