Patients With ALS Disease Crowdsource Their Own Clinical Study
Experiment shows potential value of citizen medicine Members of a health-related data-sharing website evaluated the use of a drug for treatment of a debilitating degenerative disease, the first time a social network was used to monitor patient treatment in real time. The results contradicted an earlier clinical study that had shown promise for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. The effort started after a tiny 2008 clinical study involving 16 patients suggested the chemical lithium carbonate could slow the progression of ALS. The disease gradually robs patients of muscle function, ending in death. One drug, riluzole, has been shown to slow the disease's progression, but the prospect of a new drug excited many ALS patients, most of whom only live about three to five years after diagnosis. Related ArticlesFDA Approves First-Ever Stem Cell Clinical TrialFirst Transgenic Primate Group Glows and GrowsNational Weather Service Enlists Twitter Users...