UCSF

Objective

To revise the 1999 Airlie House consensus guidelines for the design and implementation of preclinical therapeutic studies and clinical trials in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Methods

A consensus committee comprising 140 key members of the international ALS community (ALS researchers, clinicians, patient representatives, research funding representatives, industry, and regulatory agencies) addressed 9 areas of need within ALS research: (1) preclinical studies; (2) biological and phenotypic heterogeneity; (3) outcome measures; (4) disease-modifying and symptomatic interventions; (5) recruitment and retention; (6) biomarkers; (7) clinical trial phases; (8) beyond traditional trial designs; and (9) statistical considerations. Assigned to 1 of 8 sections, committee members generated a draft set of guidelines based on a "background" of developing a (pre)clinical question and a "rationale" outlining the evidence and expert opinion. Following a 2-day, face-to-face workshop at the Airlie House Conference Center, a modified Delphi process was used to develop draft consensus research guidelines, which were subsequently reviewed and modified based on comments from the public. Statistical experts drafted a separate document of statistical considerations (section 9).

Results

In this report, we summarize 112 guidelines and their associated backgrounds and rationales. The full list of guidelines, the statistical considerations, and a glossary of terms can be found in data available from Dryad (appendices e-3-e-5, doi.org/10.5061/dryad.32q9q5d). The authors prioritized 15 guidelines with the greatest potential to improve ALS clinical research.

Conclusion

The revised Airlie House ALS Clinical Trials Consensus Guidelines should serve to improve clinical trial design and accelerate the development of effective treatments for patients with ALS.