Want Better Drugs? Put Them to the Test: Pre-Clinical Core Designed to Rigorously Test Drugs of Promise

The Project ALS Pre-Clinical Core at the Motor Neuron Center at Columbia University is the most recent effort to put drugs through rigorous testing—so that we can offer better options for clinical trial for patients. Directed by Serge Przedborski, M.D., Ph.D. and Hynek Wichterle (Motor Neuron Center, Columbia University), the Project ALS Pre-Clinical Core is working with academic labs, drug manufacturers, and patients, to take several drugs of promise in-house for testing. The Pre-Clinical Core gathers chemistry and disease expertise, with a panel of drug assays designed to provide companies, ALS researchers and clinicians, and patients and their families, with a better read-out of drugs before they make it to clinical trial. Indeed, ALS clinical trials look more promising than before. The Project ALS Pre-Clinical Core adds insurance to the ever improving picture.
Photo: Hynek Wichterle oversees efforts in the newly minted Project ALS Pre-Clinical Core.