Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) News and Research

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Blood lipid biomarkers associated with lower risk of ALS

Some blood lipid biomarkers linked to cardiovascular disease risk are also associated with a lower risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) suggest the findings of a large epidemiology study published online in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry.

14 Sep 2021

Study finds possible direct connection between neurodegenerative diseases and the herpesvirus

A new study by researchers at University of Illinois Chicago suggests that when the protein optineurin, or OPTN, is present in cells it restricts the spread of HSV-1, the herpes simplex virus type 1.

13 Sep 2021

Research uncovers test to identify iMCD patients with superior response to FDA-approved treatment

New research has uncovered a precision medicine test using blood proteins to identify a novel patient subgroup of idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease (iMCD), a rare blood disorder, who are more likely to respond to siltuximab, the only FDA approved treatment for the disease.

2 Sep 2021

CIRM approves a trio of awards for new stem cell-based projects

The governing Board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine has approved a trio of awards, totaling approximately $4 million, to University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers to advance studies of new stem cell-based treatments for multiple types of cancer and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

25 Aug 2021

Researchers develop new method to quantify protein droplets involved in neurodegenerative diseases

Some proteins in cells can separate into small droplets like oil droplets in water, but faults in this process may underlie neurodegenerative diseases in the brains of older people. Now, Rutgers researchers have developed a new method to quantify protein droplets involved in these diseases.

13 Aug 2021

Temple researchers receive $1.25M NIH grant to advance understanding of neurodegenerative diseases

Like wear and tear that causes electrical systems to short circuit, neurons in the human nervous system are susceptible to degenerative processes that disrupt the flow of information.

12 Aug 2021

Restoring cholesterol levels could be a new therapeutic approach for diseases linked to TDP-43 protein

Researchers in Singapore have discovered that brain cells cannot maintain the cholesterol-rich myelin sheath that protects and insulates neurons in the absence of a protein called TDP-43.

4 Aug 2021

Novel robotic neck brace may help doctors to analyze neck mobility in cancer patients

A new robotic neck brace from researchers at Columbia Engineering and their colleagues at Columbia's Department of Otolaryngology may help doctors analyze the impact of cancer treatments on the neck mobility of patients and guide their recovery.

19 Jul 2021

Dying patients with rare diseases struggle to get experimental therapies

At 15, Autumn Fuernisen is dying. She was diagnosed at age 11 with a rare degenerative brain disorder that has no known cure or way to slow it down: juvenile-onset Huntington's disease.

14 Jul 2021

Non-toxic derivative of tetanus neurotoxin may help treat depression, neurodegenerative diseases

Depression has been treated traditionally with inhibitors of serotonin reuptake in the central nervous system.

9 Jul 2021

Researchers identify potential new treatment targets for Alzheimer's disease

A research team at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has identified potential new treatment targets for Alzheimer's disease, as well as existing drugs that have therapeutic potential against these targets.

8 Jul 2021

Biomarker of chronic cellular stress is associated with Huntington's disease, shows study

A new University of California, Irvine-led study finds that the persistence of a marker of chronic cellular stress, previously associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), also takes place in the brains of Huntington's disease (HD) patients.

24 Jun 2021

Cedars-Sinai receives $11.99 million from CIRM to launch ALS clinical trial

Cedars-Sinai has been awarded $11.99 million by California's stem cell agency to launch a clinical trial testing a potential gene and stem cell therapy for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

23 Jun 2021

Research identifies distinctive inflammatory signature in a genetic form of ALS

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that strikes nearly 5,000 people in the U.S. every year. About 10% of ALS cases are inherited or familial, often caused by an error in the C9orf72 gene.

16 Jun 2021

Study provides new knowledge about molecular mechanisms underlying human traits, diseases

A new study analyzing the association between an individual's genetics (genotype) and their observable characteristics resulting from the interaction of genetics and the environment (phenotype), contributes new knowledge to the understanding of human complex traits and diseases.

1 Jun 2021

Study reveals potential mechanism for how traumatic brain injury leads to neurodegenerative diseases

Scientists have revealed a potential mechanism for how traumatic brain injury leads to neurodegenerative diseases, according to a study in fruit flies, and rat and human brain tissue, published today in eLife.

1 Jun 2021

Researchers discover a new and unique form of ALS

In a study of 11 medical-mystery patients, an international team of researchers led by scientists at the National Institutes of Health and the Uniformed Services University discovered a new and unique form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

31 May 2021

Scientists identify many new gene variants that increase risk for depression

In the largest genetic analysis of depression to date, Veterans Affairs researchers identified many new gene variants that increase the risk for depression. The groundbreaking study helps researchers better understand the biological basis of depression and could lead to better drug treatments.

28 May 2021

CNIO researchers unravel why motor neurons die in ALS patients

In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), the progressive death of neurons that control body movement leads to paralysis of muscles in the limbs and gradually of the whole body, which ultimately makes it impossible to breathe. ALS is currently untreatable, and its cause is unknown.

12 May 2021

New miniaturized model of neuromuscular junction formation provides insight into ALS

Skeletal muscles enable voluntary movements and are controlled by a special type of neurons called motor neurons, which make direct contact with skeletal muscles through so-called neuromuscular junctions (NMJs).

22 Apr 2021