Sound waves used to sneak medicine into brain for ALS
NCT ID NCT07193953
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jul 15, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This early-stage trial tests whether a special helmet that uses focused ultrasound can safely open the blood-brain barrier to deliver an anti-inflammatory drug (IVIg) directly to the motor cortex in people with ALS. Six participants will receive two doses of IVIg, with the second dose combined with the ultrasound procedure. The main goals are to check safety and see if the drug reaches its target.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg)
- What this could lead to
- If this works, it could show a new way to deliver treatments to the brain for ALS, potentially reducing inflammation and slowing disease progression.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early phase 1 trial with only 6 people. It focuses on safety, not effectiveness. The procedure involves opening the blood-brain barrier, which carries risks like bleeding or swelling.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 1
The first testing in people. Mainly checks safety and dose, usually in a small group.
- Participants
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About 6 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2025
- Expected to finish
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May 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Diagnosed with ALS as per the Gold Coast Criteria; 2. Aged 18 years or older; 3. Capable of providing informed consent and complying with study procedures; 4. If taking Riluzole, on a stable dose for at least 4 weeks prior to Baseline; 5. If taking Edaravone, on a stable dose of one completed cycle prior to Baseline; 6. Respiratory Function Criterion: * Able to lie supine without BiPAP or breathing discomfort; OR * Forced vital capacity or slow vital capacity ≥50% of the predicted value for sex, height and age, if available 7. Able to communicate sensations during the Dome FUS procedure. 8. Qualified fit for the anesthesia by an anesthesiologist, ASA I-III. Exclusion Criteria: 1. MRI findings: 1. Active infection/inflammation 2. Acute or chronic hemorrhages, specifically \> 4 lobar microbleeds, and no siderosis or macrohemorrhages 3. Tumor/space occupying lesion causing significant mass effect 4. Meningeal enhancement 5. Intracranial hypotension 2. More than 30% of the skull area traversed by the sonication pathway is covered by scars, scalp disorders (e.g., eczema), or atrophy of the scalp 3. Clips or other metallic implanted objects in the skull or the brain, except shunts 4. Significant cardiac disease or unstable hemodynamic status including: 1. Documented myocardial infarction within six months of screening 2. Unstable angina on medication 3. Unstable or worsening congestive heart failure 4. Left ventricular ejection fraction below the lower limit of normal 5. History of a hemodynamically unstable cardiac arrhythmia 6. Cardiac pacemaker 7. Severe hypertension (diastolic BP \> 100 on medication) 8. Patient has right-to-left, bidirectional, or transient right-to-left cardiac shunts 9. QT prolongation observed on screening ECG (QTc \> 450 for men and \> 470 for women) 5. Uncontrolled hypertension (systolic \> 150 and diastolic BP \> 100 on medication) 6. Patients should not take medications known to increase risk of hemorrhage (e.g., aspirin or class I and III anticoagulants) for at least 7 days prior to treatment or lumbar puncture; patients should not take Avastin for 30 days prior to treatment 7. History of a bleeding disorder, coagulopathy or a history of spontaneous hemorrhage or use of anticoagulants, specifically recent thrombosis or stroke in past 3 months; abnormal coagulation profile (PLT \< 100,00/μl), PT (\> 14 sec) or PTT (\> 36 sec), and INR \> 1.3 8. No more than 1 non-strategic lacune \<1.5 cm 9. Known cerebral or systemic vasculopathy 10. Significant depression and at potential risk of suicide 11. Known sensitivity/allergy to gadolinium (an alternative product may be used) and DEFINITY®. 12. Any contraindications to MRI scanning, including: 1. Large participants not fitting comfortably into the scanner 2. Difficulty lying supine and still for up to 3 hours in the MRI unit or claustrophobia 13. Any contraindication to lumbar puncture for collection of cerebral spinal fluid, including: a. Intracranial hypotension 14. Untreated, uncontrolled sleep apnea 15. Impaired renal function with estimated glomerular filtration rate \< 30 mL/min/1.73m2 or on dialysis. 16. IVIg use in the previous 6 months. 17. Live viral vaccination within the 30 days before study entry 18. Currently, or in the last 3 months participated in a clinical trial delivering an investigational product or non-approved use of a drug or device or in any other type of medical research. 19. Respiratory: chronic pulmonary disorders e.g. severe emphysema, pulmonary vasculitis, or other causes of reduced pulmonary vascular cross-sectional area, patients with a history of drug allergies, uncontrolled asthma or hay fever, and multiple allergies where the benefit/risk of administering DEFINITY® is considered unfavorable by the study physicians in relation to the product monograph for DEFINITY®. 20. Motor cortex atrophy deemed severe enough to limit targeting 21. Previous major allergic or anaphylactic reaction to IVIg 22. Known IgA deficiency with anti-IgA. 23. Known frontotemporal dementia; 24. Definitely or possibly pregnant (if applicable); 25. Known auto-immune condition with or without neurological manifestations (e.g., multiple sclerosis (MS), systemic lupus erythematous (SLE), Rheumatoid arthritis). 26. Current, planned or previous use of oral, intramuscular or intravenous steroid drugs (such as prednisone, prednisolone, dexamethasone, triamcinolone, methylprednisolone, oxandrolone, and others), immunosuppressant drugs (azathioprine, mycophenolate, tacrolimus, sirolimus, cyclophosphamide, and others) or NSAIDs (ibuprofen, naproxen, celecoxib, and others) in the past 30 days; 27. Other unspecified reasons that, in the opinion of the Investigator or the Sponsor, make the participant unsuitable for enrollment
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Toronto, Ontario, M4N 3M5, Canada
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