OKLAHOMA CITY, Dec. 19, 2006 – An Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation scientist has received a $158,000 grant to study whether a common, over-the-counter drug can slow the progression of a deadly neurodegenerative disease.

Kenneth Hensley, Ph.D., received the grant from the Muscular Dystrophy Association to fund his research on acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol. The project will explore whether the drug, now used primarily as a pain killer and fever reducer, can combat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

“Sometimes it’s not the newest, fanciest drug that can treat disease,” said Hensley, an assistant member in OMRF’s Free Radical Biology and Aging Research program. “Acetaminophen suppresses inflammation, and we’ve seen positive results in tests with mouse models.”

With the grant, Hensley will expand his work using acetaminophen to treat mice that have been bred to develop a condition similar to ALS. “If those results are successful, we’d hope they’d serve as a foundation for a human clinical trial,” said Hensley.

A chronic, progressive disease marked by degeneration of the central nervous system, ALS causes muscle weakness and atrophy, with death in two to five years from onset. Currently there is just one drug–riluzole–on the market to treat ALS. A prescription can cost patients well over $1,000 a month and yields only marginal benefits.

“Acetaminophen would be a safe drug at pennies per dose,” said Hensley. “This also would be a very inexpensive clinical trial.”

Hensley’s study, funded by the MDA’s Neuromuscular Disease Research Grant program, will investigate whether the medication protects motor neurons and slows progression of the disorder. The Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association reports that more than 5,600 people in the United States are diagnosed each year with ALS. As many as 30,000 Americans, mostly between the ages of 40 and 70, have the disease at any given time.

Clinical trials for humans could possibly begin within two years after completion of mouse studies. Those trials would be conducted in collaboration with physicians outside of OMRF.

About OMRF:
Celebrating its 60th birthday in 2006, OMRF (www.omrf.org) is a nonprofit biomedical research institute dedicated to understanding and curing human disease. Its scientists focus on such critical research areas as Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, lupus and cardiovascular disease. It is home to Oklahoma’s only member of the National Academy of Sciences.