Hunt for ALS treatment lands Lallemand Health Solutions’ probiotic US$1.3M study grant

09 Feb 2022 --- In the latest move for medical nutrition, one of Lallemand Health Solutions’ probiotics is coming under the microscope for its potential to slow the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

This investigation of L. rhamnosus HA-114 will be one of the projects undertaken by Alex Parker and members of his laboratory at the Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal Research Center (CRCHUM), which has been awarded a CA$1.6 million (US$1.3 million) grant from the Weston Family Foundation.

“Together, we hope to learn how certain bacterial strains protect the nervous system from degeneration in ALS. These findings will help develop new therapeutic approaches,” says Alex Parker, who is also a professor in the department of neurosciences at the Université de Montréal.Lallemand Health Solutions has a long history of working with Parker’s team.

Hope in probiotics
Nearly 3,000 Canadians live with ALS, a disease characterized by the selective loss of motor neurons. These nerve cells serve as the internal wiring, allowing people to move at will by allowing the transmission of signals to the muscles to contract.

In people with ALS, motor neurons gradually deteriorate, eventually causing complete paralysis. On average, life expectancy is just three to five years after the diagnosis. Progressively, a person living with this rare disease loses the ability to walk, speak, eat, swallow and, ultimately, breathe.

However, prior research suggests that gut microbiota may be involved in the onset and progression of the disease. Identifying neuroprotective bacterial strains could therefore form the basis of new therapies.

Building on past knowledge
Parker’s team has already discovered a probiotic that protects motor neurons from degeneration in several animal models of ALS (worm C. elegans and mice).

Now, they aim to decipher the molecular mechanisms explaining this neuroprotective effect provided by the probiotic. 

They will also verify whether it is possible to observe the same therapeutic response in the participants of the clinical study, which will begin at the CHUM in the spring of 2022.ALS is characterized by the selective loss of motor neurons.

Bringing many teams together
The funding from the Weston Family Foundation as part of the Brain Health: 2021 – Lifestyle Approaches and Microbiome Contributions program.

Rosell Institute for the Microbiome and Probiotics, one of Lallemand Health Solutions’ two R&D centers, will work with Parker on this project, as well as other researchers from CRCHUM and the Montreal Heart Institute Research Center.

“We have been collaborating with Alex Parker and his team for many years now, and we are delighted to move forward with this new study, which aims to document the health benefits of probiotics,” adds Sylvie Binda, vice president of research at Lallemand Health Solutions.

Applying nutrition medically
This announcement comes as the medical role of nutrition continues to be in the spotlight. Last summer, the co-founders of Mend and Upgraid highlighted how food is emerging as a “new class” of medicine for clinical care. 

Meanwhile, exhibitors at last year’s CPhI Worldwide trade show spotlighted that the gaps between the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical spaces are diminishing as companies continue to maximize the market potential for their ingredients.

Lallemand Health Solutions has also been exploring other applications for HA-114. Notably, a clinical trial found that it can improve eating and mood-related behaviors in overweight adults who undergo diet-induced weight loss. 

Edited by Katherine Durrell