Basic Science ALS Research

UAMS is home to world class ALS research within the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology (College of Medicine). Dr. John P. Crow, Professor of Pharmacology/Toxicology leads a group of investigators who, for the last 15 years, have been fundamentally involved in efforts to understand the causes of the disease, and to find an effective treatment. His laboratory group consists of graduate students, skilled and experienced biochemistry and veterinary technicians, and junior faculty (PhD) members, all working on different aspects of ALS. They have received international recognition for their efforts to push the frontiers of ALS research.

Via the efforts of many generous donors throughout the state of Arkansas, the Crow group has initiated a one-of-a-kind translational research effort designed to find drug "cocktails" which are effective in slowing or halting the progression of this devastating disease. It has been commonplace to treat cancer, HIV/AIDS, and even some bacterial infections with drug combinations for years, and the same concept is now being applied to ALS. The idea is to examine combinations of drugs which are already FDA-approved for other conditions, with so-called nutraceuticals, to find a combination which produces an additive therapeutic benefit. (Nutraceuticals are compounds derived from foods, spices, and herbs which have drug-like effects when given in pure form at higher doses.) Dr. Crow's group is testing up to 80 different agents and combinations per year.

In the last three years, Dr. Crow has been joined by Dr. Paul Prather, an Associate Professor in the Pharmacology Department. Dr. Prather has made some novel discoveries related to some totally new classes of therapeutic compounds for ALS; compounds referred to as cannabinoid-2 selective agents. He continues to work toward a new treatment, and to use prototype cannabinoid compounds to probe the mechanism which underlies ALS.