NEURO-MUSCULAR DISORDERS

Neuromuscular disorders affect the nerves that control voluntary muscles and the nerves that communicate sensory information back to the brain. Nerve cells send and receive electrical messages to and from the body to help control voluntary muscles. When the neurons become unhealthy or die, communication between the nervous system and muscles breaks down. As a result, muscles weaken and waste away (atrophy).

IAG’s experience with neuromuscular disorders include clinical development in:

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
• Multiple sclerosis
• Muscular dystrophy
• Myasthenia gravis
• Myopathy
• Myositis
• Peripheral neuropathy
• Spinal muscular atrophy

With the use of imaging biomarkers, our team helps to support a PI / physician in patient selection and disease diagnosis. As alternative to invasive methods, we recommend and help integrating into the trials Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the brain, spinal cord, thigh or upper arm or Ultrasound (US), when appropriate.

MRI is a non-invasive imaging method, without ionizing radiation, which has the ability to visualize muscle, fat, connective tissue and bone. MRI has several advantages over muscle ultrasound, including that MRI has minimal operator-dependence and allows for excellent visualization of all muscles.

Added advantage of using MRI that we can provide the measurements for both volume and perfusion of muscle can be extracted from the scans.

Some of the studies that we support are investigating the disease changes at molecular level. IAG’s team has extensive experience in using PET / SPECT to reveal the metabolism of glucose within the bone and joint system.

IAG team is closely working with the recruiting sites and ensures seamless imaging data flow and assessment, to best support the development of novel treatments for these challenging conditions.

Our team is active in scientific community and our recent work investigates the association between pain and muscle perfusion, giving rise to many scientific collaborations. Our academic partners are working on the methodologies which allow for automated measurements of Fat Fraction and Muscle Volume. In any of our trials, the medical image analysis will be conducted with DYNAMIKA, that brings together quantitative methodologies for understanding treatment induced changes.

About IAG, Image Analysis Group

IAG is a unique partner to life sciences companies developing new treatment and driving the hope of the up-coming precision medicine. IAG leverages expertise in medical imaging and the power of DYNAMIKA™, our proprietary cloud-based platform, to de-risk clinical development and deliver lifesaving therapies into the hands of patients much sooner. IAG provides early drug efficacy assessments, smart patient recruitment and predictive analysis of advanced treatment manifestations, thus lowering investment risk and accelerating study outcomes.

Acting as imaging Contract Research Organization, IAG’s experts also recognize the significance of a comprehensive approach to asset development. They actively engage in co-development projects with both private and public sectors, demonstrating a commitment to cultivating collaboration and advancing healthcare solutions.

Contact our expert team: imaging.experts@ia-grp.com