Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Thomas Jefferson University, operating as Sidney Kimmel Medical College, received a $196,250 Project Grant award from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) under the Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders program (CFDA 93.853), effective June 2, 2026, with completion targeted for March 31, 2028. The research initiative focuses on developing and validating a novel diagnostic approach for early detection of respiratory impairments in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), addressing a critical gap in current clinical assessment methodologies.

The project will develop and establish a composite diagnostic test combining airway occlusion pressure (P0.1) measurement and chemosensitivity assessment to detect automatic breathing impairments in ALS patients. The research team will generate a linear prediction risk score and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) cutoff values to distinguish healthy controls from symptomatic ALS patients and to identify subclinical impairments in asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic carriers. The deliverables include validation of the diagnostic tool's effectiveness through assessment of microstructural brainstem-spinal cord changes using advanced imaging and measurement of blood neurofilament light chain (NF-L) biomarker levels. This innovative diagnostic approach is intended to enable earlier clinical intervention and provide critical biomarkers for future ALS clinical trials.