Australian media has recently reported on a poster presented at the 29th International Symposium on ALS/MND held in Glasgow in December that reported outcomes of a phase 1 Clinical Trial conducted in Australia. The phase 1 trial was designed to test the safety and dosage of the compound CuATSM and research funds donated to MND NSW have been part of the $1.2million invested in trials of copper ATSM through the MND Research Institute of Australia.
Results presented in the poster support the establishment of a randomised, placebo controlled phase 2 study to further test this promising potential therapeutic. Although results are promising CuATSM will need to be tested on more people in order to look at its effect on the progression of MND. We are hopeful that a phase 2 trial will commence later in 2019 or early 2020 and will be sure to keep the MND community up to date as more information becomes available. Click link here and download the pdf to see poster number CLT - 26. Read an update on Cu-ATSM from the researcher Associate Professor Peter Crouch in the MND Australia Spotlight on research: Update on copper ATSM. Listen to 2GB interview with Professor Dominic Rowe and Associate Professor Peter Crouch here and watch the report on the Channel 9 The Project TV show here. Information on the development of Copper-ATSM and the work of Associate Professor Peter Crouch and his team to date is on the MND Australia website here. This MND Research blog article describes the context of the research findings and cautions against overinterpreting promising early data and explains that CuATSM is a specialised compound and is not the same as taking copper supplements, which can be poisonous in high doses. For updates on this trial and other trials being conducted in Australia and overseas see the Clinical Trial page on the MND Australia website and the Clinical Trials website.