PRISM ALS: New stem cell models to transform research into treatments for MND/ALS
ALS is a highly heterogeneous disease, yet much of ALS drug discovery has relied on models representing rare genetic subtypes. With nearly 85% of cases being sporadic, there is a clear need for models that better reflect the broader patient population.
That’s why we’re proud to be part of PRISM ALS, a global collaboration between ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI), LifeArc, and Axol Bioscience focused on expanding access to high-quality, patient-derived iPSC models that better reflect the biological diversity of ALS/MND.
Through PRISM ALS, we are applying our standardised manufacturing expertise to generate consistent, well-characterised motor neuron models from control, sporadic ALS and familial ALS cell lines. By enabling reliable comparisons across disease subtypes and increasing sample diversity, these models will support more robust assay development, therapeutic testing and drug discovery. By democratising access to these well-characterised models, we aim to provide researchers with a consistent, high-quality resource that improves reproducibility and accelerates collaborative research efforts. Combining patient-derived motor neurons with additional CNS cell types, including microglia and astrocytes, will enable the development of more complex and physiologically relevant ALS models, supporting the study of cell-cell interactions and disease mechanisms that cannot be captured using motor neurons alone.
Our Project Manager, Dr Jessica Tillman, recently joined Dr Fernando Vieira (ALS TDI) and Dr Zhi Yao (LifeArc) at the “ALS Town Hall, Introducing PRISM ALS: Building Better Models to Accelerate Better Treatments”, to discuss how expanding access to diverse patient-derived cell models can help researchers better understand ALS biology and evaluate potential therapies in systems that more closely represent the full spectrum of the disease.
Download the resource: https://axolbio.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/PRISM-ALS-New-stem-cell-models-to-transform-research-into-treatments-for-MND-ALS.pdf