Experimental drug NU-9 shows promise for Alzheimer's and ALS treatment

Northwestern UniversityApr 8 2025Experimental drug NU-9 - a small molecule compound approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for clinical trials for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) - improves neuron health in animal models of Alzheimer's disease, according to a new Northwestern University study.Like ALS, Alzheimer's disease also results from misfolded proteins that damage brain health. Rather than treating symptoms from specific diseases, NU-9 instead addresses the underlying mechanisms of disease. Results from the new study give scientists hope that the drug should demonstrate effectiveness in the common mechanisms that give rise to multiple neurodegenerative diseases."This drug is quite remarkable that it works in these multiple systems," said Northwestern'sRichard B. Silverman, who invented NU-9. "We need to test it in humans before we know how effective it is in treating Alzheimer's disease. But how well upper motor neurons function in mice is si...