Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 22 hours ago
An experimental drug called NU-9 was invented at Northwestern University by Richard Silverman, PhD. It has been approved for clinical trials for the treatment of ALS and found to improves neuron health in animal models of Alzheimer's disease according to a new Northwestern Medicine study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
This discovery is giving scientists hope that the drug could be effective in multiple neurodegenerative diseases by addressing the underlying mechanisms of these diseases. Silverman and Northwestern University Alzheimer disease expert, William Klein, PhD, discuss the potential of NU-9 in this episode.
00:00 – Introduction to NU-9 and the guests
01:25 – How NU-9 was discovered at Northwestern
03:54 – The process of optimizing NU-9
06:05 – Why it's called NU-9
06:50 – FDA approval and next steps for ALS clinical trials
08:40 – Could NU-9 work for Alzheimer’s too?
10:08 – How NU-9 works to clear toxic aggregates
12:39 – Success of NU-9 in Alzheimer’s models
13:00 – What happens next for Alzheimer’s clinical trials?
15:40 – Challenges in funding and trial design
16:26 – Why NU-9 could be a broad treatment
17:15 – Final thoughts: a potential game-changer
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Visit the Feinberg website: https://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/
SUBSCRIBE: spr.ly/60073dxlv
TWITTER (X): spr.ly/60003dxmj
INSTAGRAM: spr.ly/60083dxWi
FACEBOOK: spr.ly/60063dxW0
LINKEDIN: spr.ly/60063dxqG
About Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois:
Our mission is to impact the practice of medicine through discovery and education to improve human health.
An experimental drug called NU-9 was invented at Northwestern University by Richard Silverman, PhD. It has been approved for clinical trials for the treatment of ALS and found to improves neuron health in animal models of Alzheimer's disease according to a new Northwestern Medicine study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
This discovery is giving scientists hope that the drug could be effective in multiple neurodegenerative diseases by addressing the underlying mechanisms of these diseases. Silverman and Northwestern University Alzheimer disease expert, William Klein, PhD, discuss the potential of NU-9 in this episode.
00:00 – Introduction to NU-9 and the guests
01:25 – How NU-9 was discovered at Northwestern
03:54 – The process of optimizing NU-9
06:05 – Why it's called NU-9
06:50 – FDA approval and next steps for ALS clinical trials
08:40 – Could NU-9 work for Alzheimer’s too?
10:08 – How NU-9 works to clear toxic aggregates
12:39 – Success of NU-9 in Alzheimer’s models
13:00 – What happens next for Alzheimer’s clinical trials?
15:40 – Challenges in funding and trial design
16:26 – Why NU-9 could be a broad treatment
17:15 – Final thoughts: a potential game-changer
-----------------------------------------
Visit the Feinberg website: https://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/
SUBSCRIBE: spr.ly/60073dxlv
TWITTER (X): spr.ly/60003dxmj
INSTAGRAM: spr.ly/60083dxWi
FACEBOOK: spr.ly/60063dxW0
LINKEDIN: spr.ly/60063dxqG
About Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois:
Our mission is to impact the practice of medicine through discovery and education to improve human health.
