Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Homo sapiens

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease that affects the nerves in the brain and spinal cord, leading to muscle weakening and eventual paralysis and death. 10% of ALS cases are thought to be familial while the majority of cases are sporadic and the causative factors unknown. A unique opportunity to compare the sequence and gene expression in affected and unaffected tissues of ALS has been made available through a biobank of consented ALS tissue samples assembled by Dr. Roger Pamphlett of the University of Sydney. Blood and brain or spinal cord samples from patients as well as blood from family members have been subjected to sequence analysis to look for somatic mutations or gene expression changes that may further our understanding of the disease.