Lawrence and Isabel Barnett Drug Development Program
Lawrence and Isabel Barnett Drug Development Program

The Lawrence and Isabel Barnett Drug Development Program Grant Recipients 

There is an urgent need for new and improved therapies for ALS, as there is still no cure. To help expand the drug development pipeline, we are proud to support the preclinical assessment of emerging ALS therapies like these through The Lawrence and Isabel Barnett Drug Development Program.

2023 Recipients 

John Blackwood, Ph.D., Samsara Therapeutics 
A Novel Small Molecule that Enhances Autophagy for the Treatment of ALS 

Julien Spatazza, Ph.D., Coave Therapeutics 
Preclinical Proof of Concept of TFEB in ALS Disease 

Frederik Rombouts, Ph.D., Augustine Therapeutics 
Development of a Novel Selective HDAC6 Inhibitor for the Treatment of ALS 

Howard Weiner, M.D., Brigham & Women’s Hospital 
Modulation of Neurodegenerative Microglia by Nasal Anti-CD3 Monoclonal Antibody 

Jordi Xaus, Ph.D., Oryzon Genomics 
Efficacy and Preclinical Characterization of a HDAC6 Inhibitor (ORY-4001) in ALS 

Michael Young, Ph.D., Myrobalan Therapeutics 
Targeting the Neuroinflammatory Component of ALS Using CSF1R Inhibitors 

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR 2023 RECIPIENTS

2022 Recipients

Sapan Gandhi, Ph.D., Drishti Discoveries Ltd. 
Gene Therapy for ALS  

Martin Gill, Ph.D., Libra Therapeutics, Inc.  
TRPML1 Small Molecule Agonists for the Treatment of ALS  

Justin Ichida, Ph.D., University of Southern California  
Development of an Antisense Oligonucleotide Targeting SYF2 for ALS  

Kim Staats, Ph.D., Raya Therapeutic, Inc. 
A Novel Combination Approach to ALS  

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2021 Recipients  

Daniel Elbaum, Ph.D., QurAlis Corporation
GLP Studies on Antisense Oligonucleotide Therapies  

Akinori Hishiya, Ph.D., Sola Biosciences  
Novel Protein Folding Gene Therapy for ALS  

Virginia Man-Yee Lee, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
Preclinical Evaluation of Bemcentinib as a Novel Therapeutic for ALS  

Jeffrey Rothstein, M.D., Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University 
ASO-Mediated Knockdown of CHMP7 as a Novel Therapeutic
Strategy for ALS/FTD
  

Ann Marie Schmidt, M.D., New York University Grossman School of Medicine  
Antagonism of RAGE/DIAPH1 and Therapies for ALS  

Irving Sucholeiki, Ph.D., Aquilus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.  
Development of a Matrix Metalloproteinase Inhibitor for the Treatment of ALS  

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR 2021 RECIPIENTS

2020 Recipients  

Christopher Barnum, Ph.D., INmuneBio Inc.  
Targeting soITNF-Dependent Inflammation in ALS with XPro1595  

Kuti Baruch, Ph.D., ImmunoBrain Checkpoint, Inc.
Targeting Immune Checkpoint Pathways: A Novel Therapeutic Approach in ALS  

Peter Crouch, Ph.D., University of Melbourne, Australia  
Copper-ATSM and Follistatin: A Nerve-Muscle Combination Therapy Strategy  

Diana Price, Ph.D., Neuropore Therapies, Inc.
Preclinical Evaluations of a Novel Small Molecule Toll-Like 2 Receptor (TLR2) Antagonist as a Putative ALS Therapeutic  

Christopher Reyes, Ph.D., Bloom Science  
Preclinical Development of a Live Biotherapeutic Product Used in the Treatment of ALS  

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR 2020 RECIPIENTS

2019 Recipients  

Steven Burden, Ph.D., New York University Grossman School of Medicine  
Reducing Leg Muscle Denervation in SOD1 G93A Mice with an Agonist Antibody to MuSK  

Don Cleveland, Ph.D., University of California San Diego 
Antisense Oligonucleotide Therapy in ALS by Restoring Expression of Stathmin-2

Samar Hasnain, Ph.D., University of Liverpool, UK 
Development of Ebselen and Its Derivatives as a Potential Drug for ALS  

Justin Ichida, Ph.D., University of Southern California  
Development of Novel PIKfyve Inhibitors for C9orf72 ALS  

Clotilde Lagier-Tourenne, M.D., Ph.D., Massachusetts General Hospital*  
Developing Immunotherapy Approaches Targeting Pathological Forms of TDP-43 in ALS  

Glenn Larsen, Ph.D., Aquinnah Pharmaceuticals  
Validation of Efficacy for an Inhibitor of TDP-43 Pathology in the DNLS Mouse Model of ALS  

Giovanni Manfredi, M.D., Ph.D., Weill Cornell Medicine  
Exploring the Disease-Modifying Effects of EH301 in Mouse Models of ALS   

Magdalini Polymenidou, Ph.D., University of Zurich, Switzerland*  
Developing Immunotherapy Approaches Targeting Pathological Forms of TDP-43 in ALS  

Brigitte van Zundert, Ph.D., Universidad Andrés Bello, Chile
Synergistic Dual Target Approach to ALS Therapy: Simultaneous Activation of Two Complementary Targets – Neuronal Kv7.2/3 Channels and Glial TSPO   

*Joint project
 

2018 Recipients  

Daniel Elbaum, Ph.D., QurAlis Corporation
Development of a Clinical Candidate Targeting the TBK1 Branch of the Autophagy Pathway for the Treatment of ALS  

Eliahu Heldman, Ph.D., Lauren Sciences LLC  
Treatment of ALS by Targeted Delivery of GDNF to Motoneurons Using Novel V-Smart Nanovesicles  

John Ravits, M.D., University of California San Diego  
Ataxin-2 Neuropathology in Sporadic ALS  
 

2017 Recipients  

Antonius Bunt, M.D., Ph.D., Izumi Biosciences Inc.  
Complement DoD Grant W81XWH-16-1-0072 for PK Enhancement of cART in HERV-K + ALS-FTD Patients to Reverse Neuroinflammation, Multidrug Resistance and Improve Outcomes  

John Landers, Ph.D., University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School
Investigating Pridopidine, a Sigma-1 Receptor Activator, as a Novel Therapeutic Treatment for ALS  

Nicholas Maragakis, M.D., Johns Hopkins University  
NLY01: A GLP-1 Analog for the Treatment of ALS  

Timothy Miller, M.D., Ph.D., Washington University in St. Louis*    
Pathological Analysis of Selective Autophagy in Sporadic and Familial ALS  

John Ravits, M.D., University of California San Diego*  
Pathological Analysis of Selective Autophagy in Sporadic and Familial ALS  

Raymond Roos, M.D., The University of Chicago 
Combating ER Stress in G85R ALS Mice  

Karolina Rygiel, Ph.D., University of Oxford, UK  
Generation and Validation of Open Access Recombinant Monoclonal Antibodies for Reproducible ALS Research

*Joint project  
 

2016 Recipients

Richard Keenan, Ph.D., OptiKira, LLC
Validating Inhibition of IRE1alpha Kinase/RNase as a Therapeutic Approach to ALS

Thomas Lloyd, M.D., Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University
Preclinical Development of KPT-350 for C9-ALS

Jiou Wang, M.D., Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University
Targeting Proteotoxicity as the Common Denominator in ALS

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Lawrence and Isabel Barnett Drug Development Program