An important recognition in ALS research includes the involvement of SISSA. DEFINEALS, a project coordinated by the University of Verona, has been selected among the winners of the AriSLA 2024 call. The project features Giuseppe Legname, head of SISSA’s Laboratory of Prion Biology, as a partner.
Coordinated by Gianluigi Zanusso from the University of Verona, the project aims to develop a reliable test for diagnosing and monitoring the progression of ALS associated with the TDP-43 protein, which plays a crucial role under normal conditions but aggregates abnormally in ALS patients. The study will collect nasal swab samples from 120 participants, including patients and control subjects, for immunocytochemical and molecular analyses.
With a duration of three years and a total funding of €180,000, the project is a collaboration between SISSA, the University of Verona, and the Carlo Besta Neurological Institute in Milan.
The announcement was made by AriSLA president Lucia Monaco during the scientific conference ‘Research, development, and innovation in ALS’, held in Milan on 22–23 November. The event brought together over 300 researchers and patients to review the state of ALS research and present the results of previously funded projects.
With €840,000 in total funding allocated to nine projects, AriSLA reaffirms its commitment to supporting cutting-edge ALS research, engaging 15 research groups across seven Italian regions, including Friuli Venezia Giulia.