For patients living with MND such as Greg Levin, news of the human trial provided much-needed hope.
The small trial is set to open by next year to eligible Australians with ALS, a common type of MND.
Levin was diagnosed with motor neurone disease at just 63 years old.
“I was at work and I couldn’t pick things up from my desk with my arms,” he said.
“For a couple of months at least we couldn’t function. We were just totally flawed.”
While there is no cure or treatment for MND, American company Spinogenix has developed a drug that is showing promise.
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They tested the drug SPG302 on mice and found it slowed the progression of symptoms, especially for those with ALS.
It was also found to prolong life span,by restoring broken neuron connections in the brain.
“It’s a pill that you take once a day in the hope that we can restore walking, memory and breathing,” Spinogenix chief executive Stella Sarraf said.
“As well, what’s most remarkable is that it increased the life span.”
The company will recruit 112 patients in Melbourne to test how the drug affects their symptoms.
“The more things we can trial the better,” Levin said.
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