Research - Past, Present, Future
In 1993, the gene for ALD was discovered by Dr. Patrick Aubourg and Dr. Jean-Louis Mandel in France and Dr. Hugo Moser in the United States. Research has pushed scientists to ask further questions about the details of ALD, and they are trying to find new treatments and a possible cure for the disease.
Currently, New York and Connecticut screen newborns for ALD, but there is a push for more states to include ALD in their genetic newborn screening.
Currently, New York and Connecticut screen newborns for ALD, but there is a push for more states to include ALD in their genetic newborn screening.
Current studies are working towards being able to identify new biomarkers of disease progression and to determine which patients will develop the childhood cerebral form of ALD. Recently, a study in Europe showed that the combination of gene therapy with bone marrow transplantation, using the patient's own bone marrow cells, may limit disease progression in childhood cerebral ALD.