Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis News and Research

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Scientists uncover key mechanism that regulates nerve cell growth in damaged nervous system

New research published today out of the University of Calgary's Hotchkiss Brain Institute uncovers a mechanism to promote growth in damaged nerve cells as a means to restore connections after injury. Dr. Doug Zochodne and his team have discovered a key molecule that directly regulates nerve cell growth in the damaged nervous system.

22 Apr 2014

Researchers coax human embryonic stem cells to turn into working spinal cord cells

The sponginess of the environment where human embryonic stem cells are growing affects the type of specialized cells they eventually become, a University of Michigan study shows.

16 Apr 2014

Study evaluates co-occurrence of cancers in patients with central nervous system disorders

The study evaluated the co-occurrence of cancers in patients with central nervous system disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, autism spectrum disorders, Down's syndrome, Huntington's disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia.

15 Apr 2014

Researcher pinpoints error in protein formation that could be root of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

By studying nerve cells that originated in patients with a severe neurological disease, a University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher has pinpointed an error in protein formation that could be the root of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

4 Apr 2014

Harvard stem cell scientists discover potential treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Harvard stem cell scientists have discovered that a recently approved medication for epilepsy may possibly be a meaningful treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)-Lou Gehrig's disease, a uniformly fatal neurodegenerative disorder. The researchers are now collaborating with Massachusetts General Hospital to design an initial clinical trial testing the safety of the treatment in ALS patients.

4 Apr 2014

Endurance sport keeps both muscles and nerves fit

Endurance sport does not only change the condition and fitness of muscles but also simultaneously improves the neuronal connections to the muscle fibers based on a muscle-induced feedback.

3 Apr 2014

Human motor neurons can be quickly generated from stem cells, say researchers

Researchers report they can generate human motor neurons from stem cells much more quickly and efficiently than previous methods allowed. The finding, described in Nature Communications, will aid efforts to model human motor neuron development, and to understand and treat spinal cord injuries and motor neuron diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

2 Apr 2014

Cedars-Sinai earns grant to conduct clinical trial of gene therapy product for patients with Lou Gehrig's disease

The Cedars-Sinai Regenerative Medicine Institute has received a $2.5 million grant from the Department of Defense to conduct animal studies that, if successful, could provide the basis for a clinical trial of a gene therapy product for patients with Lou Gehrig's disease, also called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.

2 Apr 2014

New research implicates that RNA processing is central to ALS disease process

In work supported by The ALS Association, researchers have discovered a new ALS-causing gene and have linked its function to that of another prominent disease gene. The study was published in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

1 Apr 2014

Study highlights benefits of using multiple injections to treat Sanfilippo syndrome type III B

New insight has been gained into treating an inherited disorder that creates serious neurological and behavioral disabilities in children and usually leads to death in the teen years.

28 Mar 2014

Study points to potential culprit that kills motor neurons in ALS

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is marked by a cascade of cellular and inflammatory events that weakens and kills vital motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. The process is complex, involving cells that ordinarily protect the neurons from harm. Now, a new study by scientists in The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital points to a potential culprit in this good-cell-gone-bad scenario, a key step toward the ultimate goal of developing a treatment.

27 Mar 2014

Initial stage of autophagy does not affect components of beclin 1 complex

Alteration of the autophagic process is involved in neurodegeneration. The beclin 1 complex is shown to play a key role in the initial stage of autophagy.

27 Mar 2014

New way to make large concentrations of skeletal muscle cells from human stem cells

As stem cells continue their gradual transition from the lab to the clinic, a research group at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has discovered a new way to make large concentrations of skeletal muscle cells and muscle progenitors from human stem cells.

24 Mar 2014

Neuralstem announces results from Phase I trial using NSI-566 spinal cord stem cells in treatment of ALS

Neuralstem, Inc. (NYSE MKT: CUR) announced that the final results from the Phase I safety trial using NSI-566 spinal cord stem cells in the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) were published in the peer-reviewed journal, "Annals of Neurology".

18 Mar 2014

Knopp and NIAID collaborate to investigate eosinophil-lowering effects of dexpramipexole

Knopp Biosciences LLC today announced a second collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to investigate the eosinophil-lowering effects of the investigational drug dexpramipexole.

13 Mar 2014

New findings shed light on how gene mutation causes motor neurone disease

Researchers have discovered a mechanism that may explain how a recently discovered mutation causes two devastating neurological diseases.

6 Mar 2014

Scientists reveal how a genetic code variation results in devastating brain diseases

New findings reveal how a mutation, a change in the genetic code that causes neurodegeneration, alters the shape of DNA, making cells more vulnerable to stress and more likely to die.

6 Mar 2014

Stem cells from patients offer model, drug-discovery platform for early-onset form of Alzheimer's

Harvard stem cell scientists have successfully converted skins cells from patients with early-onset Alzheimer's into the types of neurons that are affected by the disease, making it possible for the first time to study this leading form of dementia in living human cells. This may also make it possible to develop therapies far more quickly and accurately than before.

5 Mar 2014

Neuroscientists unlock a piece of puzzle in fight against Lou Gehrig's disease

Keck School of Medicine of USC neuroscientists have unlocked a piece of the puzzle in the fight against Lou Gehrig's disease, a debilitating neurological disorder that robs people of their motor skills.

4 Mar 2014

Genervon's GM604 bio-drug receives FDA orphan drug designation for ALS treatment

Genervon Biopharmaceuticals announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted an "orphan drug" designation to Genervon's GM604 (a.k.a. GM6) bio-drug for the treatment of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). The FDA also granted GM604 a "fast-track" designation for ALS in 2013.

3 Mar 2014