Seminar The Neuromuscular Junction as a Therapeutic Target and Source of Biomarkers in ALS

The upcoming seminar organized as part of the SAME–NeuroID project will be dedicated to the latest therapeutic strategies for patients suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Professor Richard Robitaille from the Department of Neurosciences at the University of Montreal will give a lecture on April 3 at 2:00 PM at Łukasiewicz – PORT. His talk will focus on the importance of studying the degeneration of neuromuscular junctions – very early changes in the course of the disease that precede the onset of muscle weakness and paralysis.

Professor Robitaille will present findings from both ex vivo and in vivo experiments, demonstrating that the local environment significantly influences the process of denervation in ALS. Attendees will also learn about the critical role of glial cells at various stages of disease progression.

In the section on preclinical data, Professor Robitaille will discuss how enhancing the innervation of neuromuscular junctions, improving muscle function, and extending patients’ lifespan are becoming increasingly achievable goals.

His laboratory also runs collaborative programs aimed at identifying and validating components of the neuromuscular junction as potential biomarkers of the disease – using, among other approaches, blood sample analysis. Access to patient tissues and the ability to compare data from different research centers represent an important step toward developing standardized methods for analyzing nervous system disorders – one of the primary goals of the SAME–NeuroID project.