Browsing by Author "Schultz, David"

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    A Phase 2, Double-Blind, Randomized, Dose-Ranging Trial Of Reldesemtiv In Patients With ALS
    (Taylor & Francis, 2021-05) Shefner, Jeremy M.; Andrews, Jinsy A.; Genge, Angela; Jackson, Carlayne; Lechtzin, Noah; Miller, Timothy M.; Cockroft, Bettina M.; Meng, Lisa; Wei, Jenny; Wolff, Andrew A.; Malik, Fady I.; Bodkin, Cynthia; Brooks, Benjamin R.; Caress, James; Dionne, Annie; Fee, Dominic; Goutman, Stephen A.; Goyal, Namita A.; Hardiman, Orla; Hayat, Ghazala; Heiman-Patterson, Terry; Heitzman, Daragh; Henderson, Robert D.; Johnston, Wendy; Karam, Chafic; Kiernan, Matthew C.; Kolb, Stephen J.; Korngut, Lawrence; Ladha, Shafeeq; Matte, Genevieve; Mora, Jesus S.; Needham, Merrilee; Oskarsson, Bjorn; Pattee, Gary L.; Pioro, Erik P.; Pulley, Michael; Quan, Dianna; Rezania, Kourosh; Schellenberg, Kerri L.; Schultz, David; Shoesmith, Christen; Simmons, Zachary; Statland, Jeffrey; Sultan, Shumaila; Swenson, Andrea; Van Den Berg, Leonard H.; Vu, Tuan; Vucic, Steve; Weiss, Michael; Whyte-Rayson, Ashley; Wymer, James; Zinman, Lorne; Rudnicki, Stacy A.; Neurology, School of Medicine
    To evaluate safety, dose response, and preliminary efficacy of reldesemtiv over 12 weeks in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Methods: Patients (≤2 years since diagnosis) with slow upright vital capacity (SVC) of ≥60% were randomized 1:1:1:1 to reldesemtiv 150, 300, or 450 mg twice daily (bid) or placebo; active treatment was 12 weeks with 4-week follow-up. Primary endpoint was change in percent predicted SVC at 12 weeks; secondary measures included ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised (ALSFRS-R) and muscle strength mega-score. Results: Patients (N = 458) were enrolled; 85% completed 12-week treatment. The primary analysis failed to reach statistical significance (p = 0.11); secondary endpoints showed no statistically significant effects (ALSFRS-R, p = 0.09; muscle strength mega-score, p = 0.31). Post hoc analyses pooling all active reldesemtiv-treated patients compared against placebo showed trends toward benefit in all endpoints (progression rate for SVC, ALSFRS-R, and muscle strength mega-score (nominal p values of 0.10, 0.01 and 0.20 respectively)). Reldesemtiv was well tolerated, with nausea and fatigue being the most common side effects. A dose-dependent decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate was noted, and transaminase elevations were seen in approximately 5% of patients. Both hepatic and renal abnormalities trended toward resolution after study drug discontinuation. Conclusions: Although the primary efficacy analysis did not demonstrate statistical significance, there were trends favoring reldesemtiv for all three endpoints, with effect sizes generally regarded as clinically important. Tolerability was good; modest hepatic and renal abnormalities were reversible. The impact of reldesemtiv on patients with ALS should be assessed in a pivotal Phase 3 trial. (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03160898).
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    The tissue diagnostic instrument
    (2009-05) Hansma, Paul; Yu, Hongmei; Schultz, David; Rodriguez, Azucena; Yurtsev, Eugene A.; Orr, Jessica; Tang, Simon; Miller, Jon; Wallace, Joseph M.; Zok, Frank; Li, Cheng; Souza, Richard; Proctor, Alexander; Brimer, Davis; Nogues-Solan, Xavier; Mellbovsky, Leonardo; Peña, M Jesus; Diez-Ferrer, Oriol; Mathews, Phillip; Randall, Connor; Kuo, Alfred; Chen, Carol; Peters, Mathilde; Kohn, David; Buckley, Jenni; Li, Xiaojuan; Pruitt, Lisa; Diez-Perez, Adolfo; Alliston, Tamara; Weaver, Valerie; Lotz, Jeffrey
    Tissuemechanical properties reflect extracellular matrix composition and organization, and as such, their changes can be a signature of disease. Examples of such diseases include intervertebral disk degeneration, cancer, atherosclerosis, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, and tooth decay. Here we introduce the tissue diagnostic instrument (TDI), a device designed to probe the mechanical properties of normal and diseased soft and hard tissues not only in the laboratory but also in patients. The TDI can distinguish between the nucleus and the annulus of spinal disks, between young and degenerated cartilage, and between normal and cancerous mammary glands. It can quantify the elastic modulus and hardness of the wet dentin left in a cavity after excavation. It can perform an indentation test of bone tissue, quantifying the indentation depth increase and other mechanical parameters. With local anesthesia and disposable, sterile, probe assemblies, there has been neither pain nor complications in tests on patients. We anticipate that this unique device will facilitate research on many tissue systems in living organisms, including plants, leading to new insights into disease mechanisms and methods for their early detection.