Using advanced DNA sequencing methods, an international consortium that includes scientists and clinicians from Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC), Biogen Idec, and HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology has identified a new gene that is associated with sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease. The newly associated gene, called TBK1 (TANK-Binding Kinase 1), plays a key role at the intersection of two essential cellular pathways: inflammation (a reaction to injury or infection) and autophagy (a cellular process involved in the removal of damaged cellular components). The study was published today in the online edition of Science.

The researchers are currently using patient-derived, induced pluripotent embryonic stem cells (iPS cells) and mouse models with mutations in TBK1 or OPTN to study ALS disease mechanisms and to screen for drug candidates. Several compounds that affect TBK1 signaling have already been developed for use in cancer, where the gene is thought to play a role in tumor cell survival.

Source: Biogen Idec