Medical doctor and neurobiologist Sabine Liebscher works at the Institute of Neurobiochemistry at the Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria and the Institute of Clinical Neuroimmunology at University Hospital Munich, Germany and is an expert in imaging technologies. She’s also one of the members of Target ALS’s 2022 Basic Biology consortia, working on a project titled: Evaluation of Novel Strategies to Ameliorate Aberrant Central Motor Synapse Elimination in ALS. Target ALS recognizes Sabine as a woman making significant contributions to science.
Bridging Clinical Insights with Scientific Discovery
Sabine Liebscher’s inspiration to pursue ALS research is grounded in her background as a medical doctor and her encounters with patients. “Simply put, it’s the patients I met and meet that keep me going,” she shared. From her early days in medical school, she knew she wanted to contribute to understanding disease mechanisms and identifying effective treatment strategies—a motivation that remains as strong today as when she first began her journey in medicine. Her passion for bridging the gap between clinical observations and basic scientific discoveries has shaped her career, driving her to unravel the complexities of ALS. Her work is centered on the investigation of neural circuits and how alterations within these delicate networks cause disease symptoms and fuel the degenerative process.
“ALS is a complex disease involving many different types of neurons and glia in the brain and spinal cord. With our research we try to understand how molecular alterations or typical pathological hallmarks of ALS affect the function of individual neurons and entire neural networks to then cause the degeneration of motor neurons. To do so, we watch the brain in action in our model mice and later strive to validate our findings in humans.”
Collaboration, Innovation, and Hope for the Future
Reflecting on moments where she felt her work made a difference, Sabine highlighted a collaborative effort that brought together clinicians and neurophysiologists to translate findings from mouse models to ALS patients. “I am very happy and proud of this effort,” she said, referencing the study published in Science Translational Medicine in 2024. This project, led by her together with colleagues Caroline Rouaux and Véronique Marchand-Pauvert, provided novel insights into cortical hyperexcitability in ALS, paving the way for improved diagnostics and emphasizing the role of neural circuit mechanisms in the disease. While progress in ALS research can feel incremental—“like baby steps,” as she described—Sabine remains energized by each new piece of data, eager to integrate it into the larger puzzle of ALS pathology.
What keeps her hopeful is the rapid evolution of the field, fueled by significant funding and technological advancements. “Thanks to major funding in recent years, the field has exploded. It’s hard to even keep track of all the new developments,” she noted. Innovations in sequencing, molecular tools, imaging technologies, iPSCs, novel mouse models, big data, and AI have dramatically accelerated ALS research. Sabine is particularly optimistic about emerging clinical trials and the potential of antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) therapies, such as Tofersen for SOD1-related ALS, which she describes as “game-changers.” She also believes that the key to future breakthroughs may lie in combination therapies, akin to strategies used in cancer treatment, where multi-target approaches could offer more effective outcomes.
For Sabine, collaboration is at the heart of scientific progress. “Forget about the borders and hurdles of traditional academic research and the prestige of individual labs. Let’s join forces, approach problems from many different angles, and merge expertise,” she urged. Organizations like Target ALS play a crucial role by not only providing funding but also fostering collaboration through meetings, data sharing, and biobanking initiatives. Sabine is equally excited about the transformative role of AI in research, noting its potential to accelerate discoveries and uncover new ideas, even if it won’t fully replace traditional lab models. To aspiring ALS researchers, she offered an encouraging message: “It’s an exciting time. The field has grown and attracts researchers from many disciplines. Insights from other neurodegenerative diseases are incredibly valuable, and there’s ample reason to be optimistic and hopeful.”
