TDP 43 News and Research

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Shared protein pathology redefines treatment for multiple neurodegenerative diseases

On the surface, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (LATE) might seem like unrelated diseases.

24 Aug 2026

Disrupted brain-immune signaling may help drive neurodegeneration

A Cell perspective argues that neurodegeneration can emerge from disrupted communication between neural and immune networks, with peripheral immunity, microglia, and gene-regulatory programs all shaping disease processes. The authors propose that restoring immune homeostasis and recalibrating neuroimmune circuits could create new therapeutic and diagnostic opportunities, while emphasizing that many mechanisms remain unresolved in humans.

24 Aug 2026

Spear Bio to unveil novel Alzheimer’s disease immunoassays and fully automated instrument platform at AAIC 2026

Spear Bio, an innovator in ultrasensitive protein biomarker detection, today announced plans to unveil new SPEAR immunoassay and instrument innovations at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference® 2026, taking place July 12–15 in London, UK.

From Spear Bio 9 Jul 2026

Experimental drug shields nerve cells from damage caused by ALS

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or ALS, received widespread awareness in the summer of 2014 thanks to an Ice Bucket Challenge. Millions of people participated in the challenge, drenching themselves in ice cold water to bring visibility to this devastating neurodegenerative disease and generate charitable donations for research.

3 Jul 2026

Psychological traits may uncover why Alzheimer’s biology differs between patients

In 822 deceased older adults from ROS and MAP, researchers linked stable psychological traits to multi-omic molecular subtypes of Alzheimer’s dementia using postmortem brain tissue from the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Neuroticism and loneliness were associated with molecular progression, while purpose in life showed subtype-specific inverse associations, suggesting psychological traits may align with Alzheimer’s biology beyond conventional neuropathology.

22 Jun 2026

Scientists reveal how cGAS-STING fuels brain inflammation and neurodegeneration

The cGAS-STING pathway is emerging as a key driver of chronic neuroinflammation through its effects on glial activation, neuronal stress, blood-brain barrier integrity, and type I interferon signaling. The review highlights why selective, context-dependent modulation of cGAS-STING could help treat neurodegenerative diseases, while preserving its essential roles in antiviral defense and tumor surveillance.

10 Jun 2026

Solving the mystery of ALS survival differences with new biological insights

Patients with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, live an average of only three years after symptoms begin, though some can survive closer to 10 years. What drives these differences in survival has remained a mystery.

14 May 2026

New insights into ALS progression through glial cell behavior

All the core facilities of the Cibio Department of the University of Trento are involved in a study on ALS, co-funded by Fondazione AriSla, national organizations and various donors, to better understand the molecular mechanisms of slow-progressing cases.

5 May 2026

Ultrasensitive test detects protein clumps to diagnose rare dementia subtype

Dementia affects over 57 million people worldwide, a number expected to nearly double in the next 20 years.

5 May 2026

Scientists discover a potential new way to slow ALS disease progression

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease that causes the progressive loss of motor neurons, which in most cases leads to respiratory failure within three to five years after diagnosis.

30 Apr 2026

New protein atlas identifies distinct subtypes of neurodegenerative diseases

Neurodegenerative diseases form a tangled biological web with overlapping molecular signatures and symptoms. To decode this complexity, a multi-institute collaboration led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists developed the pan-neurodegeneration atlas (PanNDA).

23 Mar 2026

New study identifies specific brain cells most vulnerable to ALS and dementia

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) belong to a spectrum of neurodegenerative diseases with overlapping symptoms, characterized by muscle wasting, paralysis, dementia, and other serious impairments.

12 Mar 2026

Imaging technique can objectively identify a recently recognized type of dementia, LATE

A novel quantitative PET- and MRI-based imaging approach can objectively identify a recently recognized type of dementia--limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy, or LATE--that is often mistaken as Alzheimer's disease.

26 Feb 2026

Overactive protein cleanup disrupts nuclear pores in neurodegenerative disease

When it comes to neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and certain forms of dementia, researchers have known that protein quality control and damage to the nuclear pore are key players.

27 Jan 2026

ALS breakthrough: Restoring protein production in motor neuron axons

Researchers at VIB and KU Leuven have identified a molecular process that allows motor neurons to maintain protein production, a process that fails in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

12 Jan 2026

Experimental drug targets early toxic amyloid to slow Alzheimer’s disease

An experimental drug developed at Northwestern University has demonstrated further promise as an early intervention for Alzheimer's disease.

18 Dec 2025

Tau biology expands beyond microtubules to neurodegeneration, metabolism and mental illness

An Thought Leaders Invited Review published today in Genomic Psychiatry by Dr. Peng Lei and colleagues presents a sweeping synthesis of tau protein research that fundamentally reframes our understanding of this molecule's dual identity.

16 Dec 2025

Scientists uncover how brain enzyme OTULIN controls tau expression

Scientists have uncovered a surprising mechanism by which a brain enzyme called OTULIN controls the expression of tau, the protein that forms toxic tangles in Alzheimer's disease.

25 Nov 2025

Study reveals how TDP-43 causes neuronal overactivity in ALS and FTD

A new Northwestern University study using patient nervous tissue and lab-grown human neurons has uncovered how a key disease protein, TDP-43, drives overactive nerve cells in the neurodegenerative diseases amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

31 Oct 2025

Unraveling the mystery of motor neuron degeneration in ALS

ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is among the most challenging neurological disorders: relentlessly progressive, universally fatal, and without a cure even after more than a century and a half of research.

27 Oct 2025