Peter Munch Andersen is professor of neurology and Wallenberg Clinical Scholar at the university hospital in Umeå, Sweden. He performed clinical, genetic and molecular-biology research into the causes of various types of ALS disease since 1992. He established the Swedish registry for familial ALS and ALS-FTD and collects longitudinal data and blood samples from patients and their unaffected relatives for prospective medical research. The ALS neurogenetic lab in Umeå participated in finding many of the genes causing ALS and FTD, in particular C9orf72 and TBK1. A major focus of the laboratory has been studying the SOD1 gene. The laboratory is also involved in the development and validation of biomarkers including the first analysis for neurofilaments in the 1990’ties.

Based on our many experiences with genotyping and phenotyping families with different types of ALS and ALS-FTD, in 2005 we proposed the first international guidelines for the use of DNA testing in ALS patients and for genetic counselling and predictive DNA testing of relatives.

Contributions:

The primary contribution of the Umeå lab to the premodiALS project will be to perform state-of-the art genetic analysis.