{"id":5182,"date":"2025-04-21T11:16:55","date_gmt":"2025-04-21T15:16:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/its-cuthemedev1.carleton.ca\/chemistry\/?p=5182"},"modified":"2026-01-30T14:07:52","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T19:07:52","slug":"turning-determination-into-discovery-a-scientists-mission-to-tackle-als","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/chemistry\/2025\/turning-determination-into-discovery-a-scientists-mission-to-tackle-als\/","title":{"rendered":"Turning Determination into Discovery: A Scientist\u2019s Mission to Tackle ALS"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Turning Determination into Discovery: A Scientist\u2019s Mission to Tackle ALS\n <\/h1>\n \n \n <\/header>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

By Ahmed Minhas<\/em>
Photo Credit: Terence Ho<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Original Post: Turning Determination into Discovery: A Scientist’s Mission to Tackle ALS<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Daniel Knight<\/a>, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research is personal. When he was 19, Knight lost his father to ALS. It was a devastating loss and a stark reminder that the disease runs in his family.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cI told my dad before he passed that I would be part of the solution,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t know what that would look like at the time, but I knew I had to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Daniel<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

While completing his undergraduate studies at Carleton University, Knight found a mentor in Maria DeRosa<\/a>, Dean of Science<\/a>. As he navigated his father\u2019s passing, her compassion and support left a lasting impact \u2014 and ultimately helped shape the direction of his future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Determined to keep working with DeRosa, Knight stayed at Carleton to pursue his PhD in Chemistry<\/a>. Now, under her supervision, he\u2019s leading groundbreaking research into a novel therapeutic approach for ALS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His research focuses on designing aptamers to prevent a key protein from clumping, which forms part of a process strongly linked to ALS progression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Backed by the ALS Canada-Brain Canada Discovery Grant<\/a>, Knight\u2019s research could help lay the foundation for a new treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"lab\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A Novel Approach to ALS Treatment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that robs individuals of their ability to move, speak and breathe. There is no cure and existing treatments only slow progression by a matter of months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Knight\u2019s research targets TDP-43, a protein that forms toxic clumps in ALS patients, which is linked to nerve cell damage. His work aims to develop aptamers \u2014 short strands of synthetic DNA or RNA molecular \u201ckeys\u201d \u2014 designed to stop this process.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cThis type of approach has already shown promise in Parkinson\u2019s research,\u201d Knight explains.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re applying those lessons to ALS in the hopes of finding a new pathway for treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Daniel<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Securing a Major Research Grant Through Persistence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Unlike many research projects that begin with dedicated funding, Knight\u2019s work started from scratch. Inspired by DeRosa\u2019s work on Parkinson\u2019s<\/a>, he saw an opportunity to apply a similar approach to ALS. When he pitched the idea to DeRosa, there was no financial backing, but she recognized its potential and encouraged him to pursue it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Knight and DeRosa applied for the ALS Canada-Brain Canada Discovery Grant in 2023, crafting a proposal outlining their research impact. It wasn\u2019t enough. Their proposal was rejected. Instead of walking away, Knight saw it as an opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The review process was tough, but the feedback was invaluable,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Knight immersed himself in the ALS research community. Kristiana Salmon, a clinical researcher who worked with his father, encouraged him to attend the ALS Canada Research Forum, where he met leading experts. Conversations with them helped him understand what funding committees wanted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2024, he rewrote their proposal and reapplied. This time, they won.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Knight, securing the grant \u2014 $120,000 over two years \u2014 was more than just a research milestone. ALS Canada supported his family while his father was sick. Now, they were investing in his work to fight the very disease that had shaped his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s surreal,\u201d he admits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


\u201cSix years ago, ALS Canada was helping my family navigate my dad\u2019s illness. Now, they\u2019re funding my research to stop it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"DK<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Leading Research as a PhD Student<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Knight leads every aspect of his study, from conducting lab work to coordinating collaborations and moving the project forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019s working closely with James Shorter<\/a>, an expert in ALS-related protein aggregation, at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, to test his designs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s definitely pressure,\u201d Knight says.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cI remind myself that every experiment brings us closer to answers. That\u2019s what keeps me going.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

With funding secured, Knight is focused on refining his aptamer candidates. Initial results are expected later this year, with further biological testing planned in the next phase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though he knows a cure won\u2019t come overnight, he hopes his work fuels the growing momentum in ALS research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe field has come so far in the last decade,\u201d he says. \u201cHealth Canada just approved the first-ever gene targeting therapy for ALS, which is incredible progress. We need to keep pushing forward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While deeply personal, Knight\u2019s research is also about the bigger picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis disease affects more people than many realize,\u201d he says. \u201cThe more we talk about it and the more funding we secure, the closer we get to real solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His goal is to advance the search for answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know exactly where my career will take me,\u201d says Knight.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cI want to make an impact; whether in research, biotech or advocacy. I made a promise to be part of the solution and that\u2019s what I intend to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Knight\u2019s determination shows how passion-driven science at Carleton can change lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Daniel<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Ahmed MinhasPhoto Credit: Terence Ho Original Post: Turning Determination into Discovery: A Scientist’s Mission to Tackle ALS For Daniel Knight, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research is personal. When he was 19, Knight lost his father to ALS. It was a devastating loss and a stark reminder that the disease runs in his family. \u201cI told […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5184,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":{"cu_post_thumbnail":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/chemistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5182","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/chemistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/chemistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/chemistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/chemistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5182"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/chemistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5182\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5793,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/chemistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5182\/revisions\/5793"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/chemistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5184"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/chemistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5182"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/chemistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5182"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/chemistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5182"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}