Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) News and Research

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Could high cholesterol lead to motor neuron disease?

Researchers suggest that motor neuron disease may be linked to an abnormal build-up of cholesterol and other lipids within cellular compartments.

20 Dec 2019

FDA-approved anti-inflammatory drug delays onset of ALS in mice

The cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)--a disabling neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord and leads to weakened muscles and early death--is not fully understood, but accumulating evidence suggests that inflammatory processes may play a role in the initiation and progression of the condition.

27 Nov 2019

Stem cells do not take the day off on national holidays

While most of us are stuffing ourselves with turkey and pumpkin pie at home on Thanksgiving Day, the staff at one Cedars-Sinai laboratory will be on the job, feeding stem cells.

26 Nov 2019

Thermo Scientific Aquilos 2 Cryo-FIB reduces sample preparation time

Thermo Fisher Scientific today announced the Thermo Scientific Aquilos 2 Cryo-FIB, a DualBeam system dedicated to the preparation of thin, electron-transparent samples from biological specimens.

From Thermo Fisher Scientific – Electron Microscopy Solutions 11 Nov 2019

TDP-43 study could speed up the diagnosis and treatment of ALS

A new study suggests that TDP-43 may be used as a biomarker in the diagnosis and treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

30 Oct 2019

NCATS funds 'All of Us Research Program' to evaluate innovative DNA sequencing tools

The All of Us Research Program has selected the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, Alabama, to evaluate the use of leading-edge DNA sequencing technologies that could someday improve diagnosis and treatment of many diseases, both common and rare.

18 Oct 2019

Improved antibody validation

Antibodies are used in a variety of clinical and research situations to examine the structure and function, and distribution of proteins. However, many researchers have found a lack of specificity in the functioning of these antibodies. This means that any work conducted using these antibodies will not yield reliable results.

16 Oct 2019

ALS patients with commonly inherited genetic variation may experience more severe symptoms

A discovery made several years ago in a lab researching asthma at Wake Forest School of Medicine may now have implications for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a disease with no known cure and only two FDA-approved drugs to treat its progression and severity.

16 Oct 2019

Research may help explain how liquid organelles in cells coexist without merging

New research may help to explain an intriguing phenomenon inside human cells: how wall-less liquid organelles are able to coexist as separate entities instead of just merging together.

10 Oct 2019

Chan Zuckerberg Initiative supports a patient-led movement to cure ALS

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative today announced $453,000 in funding for I AM ALS, a patient-led organization dedicated to raising awareness of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and empowering patients to lead the search for a cure.

25 Sep 2019

Scientists to present new findings on gene therapy at Neuroscience 2019

Gene therapy shows promise as a way to treat and cure presently incurable neurological diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

24 Sep 2019

Researchers use high-throughput mutagenesis approach to study ALS

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a devastating and incurable nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, causing loss of muscle control and normally death within a few years of diagnosis.

23 Sep 2019

RNA hitches lysosome rides to make proteins far away from the nucleus

Proteins inside a cell are often made at the site where they are used, rather than being shipped long distances. This is so with nerve cells which have long cell extensions in the form of axons and dendrites, up to four feet long in some case

22 Sep 2019

Wearable brain-machine interface could help disabled people to control a wheelchair or vehicle

Combining new classes of nanomembrane electrodes with flexible electronics and a deep learning algorithm could help disabled people wirelessly control an electric wheelchair, interact with a computer or operate a small robotic vehicle without donning a bulky hair-electrode cap or contending with wires.

20 Sep 2019

Prilenia's lead compound selected to participate in first-ever ALS platform trial

Prilenia, a newly formed biotech company focused on developing novel treatments for neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders, announces that Pridopidine, its lead compound, has been selected as the first of three potential new treatments to be included in the launch of the first ever platform trial in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

19 Sep 2019

Study shows how a toxin produced by algal blooms in saltwater may cause ALS

Can a computer be used to explain why an environmental toxin might lead to neurodegenerative disease? According to Penn State College of Medicine researchers, a computer generated-simulation allowed them to see how a toxin produced by algal blooms in saltwater might cause Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

17 Sep 2019

New pathological mediator of ALS found

A research collaboration based in Japan has found a new pathological mediator of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which could have further implications for understanding the molecular breakdown that gives rise to the neurodegenerative disease that affects nearly half a million people around the world.

3 Sep 2019

MSD collaborates with Francis Crick to find causes of motor neurone disease

Scientists at global biopharmaceutical company MSD and the Francis Crick Institute have started a unique new collaboration to understand the causes of Motor Neurone Disease and identify potential targets for future treatments, co-funded by MSD and the UK Medical Research Council.

21 Aug 2019

Loss of cells in the brain found to be associated with stuttering

Researchers believe that stuttering - a potentially lifelong and debilitating speech disorder - stems from problems with the circuits in the brain that control speech, but precisely how and where these problems occur is unknown.

19 Aug 2019

Northwestern scientists receive $3.1 million grant to investigate drug therapies for ALS

Two Northwestern University scientists have received a $3.1 million grant from the National Institute on Aging to collaborate and investigate drug therapies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

18 Aug 2019