Advancing ALS Care: Recent Achievements from The Speech Production Lab (SPL)

Dr. Yana Yunusova

Dr. Yana Yunusova

By: Jessica Boafo

The Department of Speech-Language Pathology prides itself on fostering an environment that supports innovation in communication and swallowing health (take the new study published by professors Pascal van Lieshout and Aravind Namasivayam, for instance). That is why the department is pleased to highlight recent achievements from the Speech Production Lab, led by Dr. Yana Yunusova, where researchers continue to advance understanding and clinical care for individuals affected by motor neuron diseases. Through innovative projects and highly competitive awards, the lab is shaping new pathways in the assessment and management of motor speech and swallowing disorders, areas of growing urgency in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and related conditions.

The lab was recently awarded a newly funded operating grant through the Joint Programme on Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND) and CIHR for a proposed multi-site, multimodal study that will investigate biological mechanisms, neuroimaging markers, and patient‑reported outcomes, alongside cultural and healthcare system differences, to establish best practice guidelines for managing bulbar and pseudobulbar dysfunction and raising awareness.

This international project will investigate:

  • Biological and neural mechanisms underlying bulbar and pseudobulbar symptoms
  • Neuroimaging markers that can support earlier or more precise detection
  • Patient‑reported outcomes, capturing the lived experience of symptoms
  • Cross‑cultural differences in diagnosis, service access, and care delivery

By integrating clinical, imaging, and patient‑driven data, the team aims to help establish best practice guidelines for the identification and management of bulbar and pseudobulbar dysfunction. The project’s collaborative design reflects a growing need for global consensus and awareness around symptoms that significantly affect quality of life yet remain inconsistently addressed across care systems.

The department also celebrates Dr. Jennifer Soriano, a postdoctoral fellow supervised by Dr. Yunusova, who has received a 2025 ALS Canada–Brain Canada Clinical Research Fellowship. This award supports promising early‑career researchers committed to advancing care and outcomes for people living with ALS.

Dr. Soriano’s funded work focuses on evaluating VirtualSLP, an innovative digital platform that uses validated artificial intelligence (AI) models to support remote assessment and monitoring for individuals experiencing bulbar symptoms, some of the most challenging and life‑altering aspects of ALS.

This work represents a promising step toward improving access to SLP services and ensuring that individuals with bulbar symptoms receive timely, high‑quality care.

Together, these achievements demonstrate the ongoing leadership and mentorship of Dr. Yunusova and the Speech Production Lab in advancing precision care for individuals with motor neuron diseases. Through multidisciplinary collaboration, innovative technology development, and a deep commitment to patient‑centered research, the team continues to strengthen both the scientific and clinical foundations of speech‑language pathology.