Forums, Webinars, and Education
Free to access and open to all, ALS Canada webinars will help you learn about the latest advancements in ALS research, how donor dollars are supporting one of the best ALS research programs in the world, and how to get involved in clinical trials to help make ALS a treatable, not terminal, disease. Some webinars feature guest speakers from the ALS research community who share details about their work and address key topics in the field.
ALS Canadian Alliance's Second Patient/Caregiver Information Forum
This educational forum took place online on March 21, 2024. Hosted by the ALS Canadian Alliance and featuring guest speakers, Dr. Andrew Eisen, Dr. Erik Pioro, Dr. Colleen O’Connell, and Dr. Theodore Mobach, attendees learned about critical topics such as Care Options to Manage Symptoms, Riluzole, Oral Suspension of Edaravone, Tofersone, and more!
ALS Canadian Alliance's Patient/Caregiver Information Forum
What is the ALS Canadian Alliance?
The ALS Canadian Alliance collectively strives to enhance the quality of life for all people living with and affected by ALS and support research to find the cause and cure.
We do this by:
Building partnerships;
Working collaboratively;
Uniting to connect Canadians living with ALS;
Advocating for people living with ALS;
And building capacity.
The founding Members of the ALS Canadian Alliance are the ALS Society of British Columbia; the ALS Society of Alberta; the ALS Society of Saskatchewan; the ALS Society of Manitoba; the ALS Society of PEI, and the ALS Society of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
Archived Webinars
The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and the changed landscape of ALS research in Canada
This webinar is about the impact of donations and the game-changing research that the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge made possible.
You’ll learn about:
Ongoing clinical trials and the promise they hold for finding future ALS treatments
New partnerships and collaborations on a provincial, national, and global level
ALS biomarker research aimed at helping to discover treatments faster and improve patient care
Part I: ALS clinical trials
An update on clinical trials in Canada and around the world
This webinar is part one of a two part series that focuses on clinical trials for ALS in Canada and across the world.
Dr. David Taylor, VP of Research at ALS Canada, explores how clinical trials currently work, the importance of biomarkers, a new way of doing ALS clinical trials and the current state of experimental therapies in Canada and worldwide.
This webinar will be offered in English only.
Part II: ALS clinical trials
An update on clinical trials in Canada and around the world
This webinar is part two of a two part series that focuses on clinical trials for ALS in Canada and across the world.
This is part two of a two part series where Dr. David Taylor, VP of Research at ALS Canada, continues to explore current ALS clinical trials, specific experimental treatments, how you can get involved in a clinical trial near you, and alternative ALS treatments.
This webinar will be offered in English only.
Using skin cells to model ALS in the laboratory
How does the skin of people living with ALS differ from the skin of others?
Dr. François Gros-Louis provided an overview on the work his research lab is doing with ALS at l’Université Laval, using skin as an alternative to brain tissue to identify molecular biomarkers in ALS. Please note that this webinar was presented in French only.
ALS and the environment
Can exposure to toxins and other environmental factors play a role in the development of sporadic ALS?
Zebrafish can be a useful model to study motor neuron degeneration, and are particularly useful for understanding the role that different cells, such as glial cells, may play in the onset and progression of ALS.
Jessica Morrice, a PhD student in Dr. Christopher A. Shaw’s lab at the University of British Columbia, uses zebrafish to understand how toxins can cause motor neuron degeneration – an understanding that could eventually lead to slowing down or stopping ALS.
From models in the laboratory to ALS therapies
Approaches for better modeling of human disease
When it comes to testing new therapeutic approaches for ALS, researchers have a wide variety of animal models to choose from. However, many drugs that have been shown to be effective in animal models have failed in human clinical trials, leading to the question: which animal models are the most effective for modeling human disease?
In this webinar, Dr. Vincent Picher-Martel from Laval University presents some advantages and disadvantages of the animal models currently available for the study of ALS. He also discusses his work using mice models to simulate mutations in Ubiquilin-2 and TDP-43, two genes known to contribute to the development of ALS.
This webinar was presented in both French and English. Click on the Français tab for the link to the French webinar.
Thinking inside the box
How touchscreen technology may help to identify cognitive impairments in ALS mice and pave the way for future treatments
This webinar was presented by Dr. Flavio Beraldo, Adjunct Professor and research associate at Western University.
Learn about how touchscreen technology could improve testing for cognitive impairment in ALS, and how these tests could help find treatments in the future. Please note that this webinar was conducted in English only.
The ALS treatment pipeline
A webinar by Neurologists for Canadians affected by ALS
Presented by the Canadian ALS Research Network | Sponsored by the ALS Canada Research Program
The Canadian ALS Research Network (CALS), a group of ALS clinicians and researchers across Canada, held a webinar on November 30, 2017 offering perspectives on ALS treatments including edaravone as well as others in development. The webinar was a panel discussion featuring:
Dr. Wendy Johnston, Director of the Edmonton ALS Clinic and Co-Chair of CALS
Dr. Geneviève Matte, Director of the ALS Clinic at CHUM – Hôpital Notre-Dame
Dr. Colleen O’Connell, Director of the Fredericton ALS Clinic and Co-Chair of CALS
Dr. Christen Shoesmith, Director of the London ALS Clinic
The webinar was moderated by Dr. David Taylor, Vice President Research for ALS Canada, which sponsored the webinar. He provided a brief overview of edaravone, masitinib, NurOwn, tirasemtiv and other experimental treatments currently in clinical trials.
The webinar was conducted primarily in English, but efforts were made to provide some information in French.
Note that the archived version of the webinar has been modified from the live version that originally aired, in which the possibility of placebo effect was discussed using an example of an individual who had reported positive results with treatment. This statement was based on assumption and has since been retracted and removed. An explanation of placebo effect remains because it is important for webinar listeners to be aware of the possibility of placebo responses when pursuing any type of treatment.