Dr. Jinsy Andrews, director of NYU Langone’s ALS Center, stopped by NY1 on Wednesday and got straight into how treatment for ALS is changing, from gene-targeted drugs to faster regulatory reviews. She called the latest developments reasons for cautious optimism among patients and clinicians, while stressing that new medications do not replace the need for strong supportive care and access to clinical trials.
According to Spectrum News NY1, Andrews sat down with anchor Shannan Ferry on “News All Day” to lay out the evolving treatment landscape and offer practical tips for protecting brain health. NYU Langone notes that Andrews leads the new ALS center, which aims to bring genetic counseling, research, and multidisciplinary care under one roof for people living with the disease.
Regulatory Push Reshapes the Treatment Conversation
The regulatory backdrop is shifting in ways that are hard to ignore. The FDA approved Qalsody (tofersen) in 2023 as the first therapy designed to target a specific genetic cause of ALS, the SOD1 mutation, and the agency notes that the drug received priority review, orphan-drug, and Fast Track designations. Other companies are trying to follow a similar path: Amylyx reports that the FDA granted Fast Track designation to AMX0114, an investigational antisense oligonucleotide. These labels can accelerate development and review, although experts still insist that larger, confirmatory trials are needed to prove real clinical benefit.
What Gene-Targeted Therapies Mean for Patients
Gene-targeted drugs are highly specific to certain mutations. Qalsody is intended for people with pathogenic SOD1 variants and does not help the majority of ALS patients who do not carry that mutation. As the ALS Association explains, most ALS cases are sporadic, and genetic testing along with counseling is increasingly central to care as more targeted options appear. That shift is nudging more patients toward academic centers and trial networks that can offer genetic screening alongside multidisciplinary services.
Trials and the Research Pipeline Gaining Steam
Clinical research is picking up speed. Trial tracker Stella lists roughly 286 active ALS trials as of mid-May 2026, covering everything from antisense drugs and gene therapies to neuroprotective treatments and device studies. Early-stage data have sparked cautious optimism: QurAlis has reported interim ANQUR results for QRL-201, and the MND Association has described those findings as promising but still preliminary. More readable trial listings and open-label extension studies are opening doors for some patients, yet clinicians warn that these early signals have to be backed up by larger randomized trials before anyone declares a breakthrough.
Dr. Andrews' Practical Brain-Health Advice
On NY1, Andrews also zoomed out from the lab and focused on what people can do every day. Her evidence-based checklist: stay physically active, manage blood pressure and diabetes, make sleep a priority, avoid smoking, and consider genetic counseling when it is appropriate. Spectrum News NY1 carried her interview, and public-health guidance is in the same lane. The CDC’s “Healthy Body, Healthy Brain” materials, for example, emphasize cardiovascular risk control and regular physical activity as core pillars of brain health. Andrews also encouraged patients to ask their neurologist about clinical trial options and about referrals to multidisciplinary centers such as NYU Langone.
What New Yorkers Should Do Now
For New Yorkers who are living with ALS or noticing concerning symptoms, Andrews recommends starting with direct questions for your doctor about genetic testing, clinical trial eligibility, and available multidisciplinary programs. For reliable information and current trial listings, she points to resources like the ALS Association and hospital trial pages, along with outreach to academic ALS centers for counseling and coordinated care. New gene-targeted drugs are an important step forward, but experts say the best outcomes still come from combining participation in research with comprehensive supportive and respiratory care.
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