Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) News and Research

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Study could open up new treatment approaches for neurodegenerative diseases

Cell biologists have deepened understanding of proteins associated with neurodegenerative diseases. The findings could open up new treatment approaches for disorders including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), among others.

31 May 2018

Researchers seek new approaches to better protect the eye from glaucoma

Under the increased pressure of glaucoma, scientists want to help the neurons in our eyes better protect themselves and get better help from their friends.

29 May 2018

Researchers work together to solve mystery of motor neuron death in ALS patients

As the old adage goes, 'two heads are better than one'. With the development of new technologies and increasingly specialist expertise, ground-breaking science needs to be a team effort.

25 May 2018

Study identifies new mechanism involved in development of Lou Gehrig's disease

A new Tel Aviv University study identifies a previously unknown mechanism involved in the development of Lou Gehrig's disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

23 May 2018

Small part of cellular protein that helps form long-term memories also drives neurodegeneration

Scientists have just discovered that a small region of a cellular protein that helps long-term memories form also drives the neurodegeneration seen in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). This small part of the Ataxin-2 protein thus works for good and for bad.

23 May 2018

New study could have important implications for cellular aging

Researchers have found a way to stimulate autophagy, a process used by cells to convert misfolded proteins and redundant organelles into components that the cell can re-use.

16 May 2018

FDA seeks order of permanent injunction to stop two stem cell clinics from marketing stem cell products

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in two complaints filed today in federal court, is seeking permanent injunctions to stop two stem cell clinics from marketing stem cell products without FDA approval and for significant deviations from current good manufacturing practice requirements.

10 May 2018

Alnylam achieves delivery of novel siRNAs conjugates to the central nervous system

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today that the Company has achieved delivery of novel small interfering RNA conjugates to the central nervous system and is planning to advance a pipeline of investigational RNAi therapeutics into clinical development.

8 May 2018

Study reveals surprising insights into RNA-binding proteins

A host of special molecules called nuclear RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), when misplaced outside the nucleus, form the harmful clumps seen in several brain disorders, including frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

20 Apr 2018

Large ALS-causing protein aggregates protect rather than harm neurons

Scientists at the UNC School of Medicine have made a significant advance in the understanding of the complex and fatal neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

17 Apr 2018

Deficiency of innate immune adaptor TRIF shortens survival time of ALS mice

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a neurodegenerative disease damaging motor neurons in brain and spinal cords. ALS patients show progressive muscle weakness and atrophy, leading to a fatal respiratory muscle paralysis. There are no effective therapies for ALS.

16 Apr 2018

Aberrant protein prevents self-cleaning of nerve cells in ALS

Scientists have discovered that TDP-43 interferes with lysosomal pathways responsible for its clearance and induces autophagy in ALS.

12 Apr 2018

Houston Methodist-led research focuses on rare, inherited neurodegenerative disorder

A rare, inherited neurodegenerative disorder will soon be the focus of an international clinical research effort led by Houston Methodist and funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, part of the National Institutes of Health.

10 Apr 2018

ALS and frontotemporal dementia share genetic connections

Nearly half of all patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal neuromuscular disorder, develop cognitive problems that affect memory and thinking.

9 Apr 2018

Specific immune cells may help slow progression of ALS, research shows

New research into Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) - also known as motor neuron disease - shows that specific immune cells may help slow progression of the disease, an important step towards developing new therapies to treat patients.

22 Mar 2018

Discovery of new ALS gene points to cytoskeleton as potential target for drug development

An international team of researchers led by John Landers, PhD, at UMass Medical School, and Bryan Traynor, MD, PhD, at the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health, has identified KIF5A as a new gene associated with the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

21 Mar 2018

Scientists discover basic molecular mechanism that helps understand how ALS works

It took eight long years of research, but now an international team led by neuroscientists at Université de Montréal has discovered a basic molecular mechanism that better helps understand how Lou Gehrig's disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), works.

19 Mar 2018

Discovery aids understanding of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Researchers have discovered a basic molecular mechanism that sheds light on the disease process underlying amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

19 Mar 2018

Clinical trial to test efficacy of stem cell transplants in stopping ALS muscle deterioration

Once funding is obtained, researchers can perform a clinical trial to test the efficacy of transplanting bone marrow cells into muscles to stop deterioration caused by the illness. The method has already yielded positive results on mice.

16 Mar 2018

NIH-funded researchers use CRISPR to rapidly find new genetic suspects behind ALS, FTD

NIH-funded researchers at Stanford University used the gene editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 to rapidly identify genes in the human genome that might modify the severity of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia caused by mutations in a gene called C9orf72.

13 Mar 2018