Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42160515›Full record

ArticleHuman vaccines & immunotherapeutics2026

Immunotherapeutic landscape of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A bibliometric analysis of research trends, translational priorities, and collaboration networks (2006-2025).

Ming Zhang, Wenshuo Yang, Junxin Wang, Biqi Zou, Jialin C Zheng, Qihui Wu, Ge Gao

Abstract readEvidence Synthesis
In one paragraph

Article in Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Ming ZhangCenter for Translational Neurodegeneration and Regenerative Therapy, Tongji Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Wenshuo YangCenter for Translational Neurodegeneration and Regenerative Therapy, Tongji Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Junxin WangCenter for Translational Neurodegeneration and Regenerative Therapy, Tongji Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Biqi ZouCenter for Translational Neurodegeneration and Regenerative Therapy, Tongji Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Jialin C ZhengCenter for Translational Neurodegeneration and Regenerative Therapy, Tongji Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Qihui WuShanghai Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Brain Functional Modulation, Clinical Research Center for Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Translational Research Institute of Brain and Brain-Like Intelligence, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai Research Institute for Intelligent Autonomous Systems, State Key Laboratory of Cardiology and Medical Innovation Center, Shanghai East Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
Ge GaoCenter for Translational Neurodegeneration and Regenerative Therapy, Tongji Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) remains a major therapeutic challenge, with immune dysregulation increasingly recognized as a critical driver of disease progression. Despite extensive mechanistic research, no immunotherapeutic approach has achieved consistent disease-modifying effects, raising questions about whether this translational gap reflects biological complexity or structural misalignment within the research ecosystem. To characterize the intellectual evolution of ALS immunotherapeutics research, identify immune targets with translational potential, and evaluate collaboration patterns that may influence translational efficiency, we performed a bibliometric analysis of 2,256 publications indexed in Web of Science and Scopus using network-based approaches including co-citation clustering, keyword co-occurrence, and citation burst detection implemented in CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and R-Bibliometrix. Publication output increased 8.4-fold over the study period, delineating three developmental phases. Thematic analyses revealed a shift from early emphasis on microglial biology and SOD1-based models toward recent focus areas including the gut-brain axis, C9orf72-associated immune dysregulation, and advanced immunomodulatory strategies. Collaboration networks remain predominantly regional despite strong contributions from the United States, Europe, and Asia, with limited integration between mechanistic research groups and clinical trial consortia. Among immune-directed therapeutic strategies, regulatory T cell modulation and microglial-targeted approaches exhibit the highest translational readiness. These findings suggest that the lack of effective ALS immunotherapeutics reflects not only biological complexity but also structural and strategic misalignment within the research ecosystem. This bibliometric analysis provides a systems-level framework to guide more integrated translational strategies in ALS immunotherapeutics development.

Indexed as

Amyotrophic Lateral SclerosisBibliometricsImmunotherapyTranslational Research, BiomedicalAnimalsC9orf72 ProteinHumansMicrogliaSuperoxide Dismutase-1C9orf72 ProteinSuperoxide Dismutase-1Amyotrophic lateral sclerosisC9orf72 repeat expansionclinical translationimmunotherapeuticsneuroinflammationregulatory T cells

Identifiers

PMID42160515
PMCPMC13196659

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.