Principal Investigator: Dr. Jeremy Shefner, State University of New York, Syracuse
Site-PI: Dr. Michael Benatar, University of Miami
This is a multicenter study that is being done to further develop and refine a new handheld medical device called Electrical Impedance Myography (EIM) developed by Skulpt Inc. for the purpose of assessing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. New methods for evaluating patients with ALS are needed to help assess the potential benefit of new therapies. The study will include the testing of muscles using a number of non-invasive techniques including EIM.
For ALS participants each study visit requires about 2-3 hours of time and there are 5 study visits over 9 months. Participants will be compensated up to $50 per visit.
For healthy controls and other neuromuscular disease participants the entire study will last no more than 3 hours. Only one visit is required. Participants will be compensated $20 for completing screening for the study and an additional $30 if eligible to participate and complete the visit
ALS Subjects:
- Male or female, aged 35 to 80
- Recent diagnosis of sporadic or familial ALS
- Symptom onset less than 24 months before screening visit
- Geographically accessible to the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Healthy Control subjects:
- Male or female, aged 35 to 80
- Absence of a known neurological disorder
- Geographically accessible to the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Neuromuscular disorder subjects:
- Male or female, aged 35 to 80.
- Diagnosis of one of the following:
- Multi-focal motor neuropathy
- Autoimmune motor neuropathy
- Pinched nerve in the neck or back causing weakness in the arms or legs
- Weakness caused by neuropathy
- Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease
- Cervical myelopathy
- Multiple sclerosis
- Hereditary spastic paraplegia
- Geographically accessible to the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Skulpt Inc. via funding from
- Massachusetts General Hospital
- State University of New York Upstate Medical University
- Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center
- Skulpt, Inc.
Research Coordinator
- Sumaira Hussain, B.Sc.
Contact Information
- Email: sumaira.hussain@med.miami.edu
- Phone: 305-243-8487
- Bohorquez J, Jutkove S, Benatar M, Caress J, David W, Ensrud E, Shefner J. Electrical impedance myography for early diagnosis and assessment of ALS progression: Results of a multicenter clinical trial. Platform presentation at the 27th International Symposium on ALS/MND, Dublin, Ireland, Dec 7-9, 2016.
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