Researchers at the University of Queensland’s (UQ) Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) have received approval for a clinical trial to examine a heart medication in treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly referred to as motor neurone disease (MND).
Spearheaded by AIBN associate professor Dr Shyuan Ngo, the study will involve 150 ALS subjects and aims to determine if the drug trimetazidine can enhance their functional abilities and overall quality of life.
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Widely used in Europe for angina treatment, trimetazidine has shown promise in previous research for its potential to modify metabolic factors that influence ALS’s onset and progression.
This study is part of the research underway by Dr Ngo into the impact of metabolic factors, including nutrition, on the management of ALS.
Scheduled to start in early 2026, the study will recruit subjects from Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, and Spain.
Dr Ngo stated: “While ALS has traditionally been thought of as a disease of the brain or spinal cord, we now know that changes to a patient’s metabolism – or the rate they use energy – is linked to worse outcomes.
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By GlobalData“If we can prove in this clinical trial that trimetazidine improves metabolism and function in ALS patients, doors will open for more research into how other existing drugs could be repurposed to treat ALS.”
The trimetazidine trial is one of three projects under Dr Ngo’s leadership, supported by A$3.1m ($2.02m) grant awarded by FightMND for the 2024 grant cycle.
The other initiatives will examine muscle cell particles’ role in ALS and collect data on the disease’s individualised manifestations. This information will contribute to the creation of a global web tool designed to enhance MND research.
Dr Ngo added: “Modifying metabolic flexibility, or the balance between how a cell or tissue accesses sugars or fat as an energy source, is still an emerging area of research when it comes to MND and ALS, and the more we understand about it, the greater the chance we can find new treatments.”
