Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) News and Research

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Novel robotic neck brace could improve quality of life for ALS patients

A novel neck brace, which supports the neck during its natural motion, was designed by Columbia engineers.

12 Aug 2019

Prion disease in mice treated successfully with antisense oligonucleotides

Prion proteins are known to cause scrapie – a neurodegenerative condition. It is capable of debilitating damage to the nervous system. Researchers have successfully devised a treatment for this condition which prolonged the lives of the lab mice infected with the prions.

1 Aug 2019

Johns Hopkins researchers use nanotechnology to repair faulty brain circuits

Working with mouse and human tissue, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report new evidence that a protein pumped out of some — but not all — populations of “helper” cells in the brain, called astrocytes, plays a specific role in directing the formation of connections among neurons needed for learning and forming new memories.

31 Jul 2019

Fungus used in traditional medicine could slow neuron loss in ALS

A Chinese caterpillar fungus that is used in traditional Chinese medicine has been found to minimize motor neuron loss in mice models of ALS.

25 Jul 2019

Alzheimer's Association awards $3 million grant to support Longeveron's innovative clinical trial

The Alzheimer's Association has awarded Longeveron LLC, a Miami-based biopharmaceutical company that develops cellular therapies for aging-related diseases, a $3 million grant to be applied to the company's mesenchymal stem cell Alzheimer's research.

23 Jul 2019

Intestinal microbes may affect course of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science have shown in mice that intestinal microbes, collectively termed the gut microbiome, may affect the course of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

22 Jul 2019

Researchers explain how 'viral' agents of neurological diseases ended up in our DNA

What if the missing ‘environmental’ factor in some of our deadliest neurological diseases were really written in our genome?

11 Jul 2019

Study sheds light on complex caspase-1-induced cell death mechanisms

Most unnecessary or dangerous cells such as virus-infected cells commit suicide by activating an in-built suicide program.

5 Jul 2019

Researchers determine atomic interactions that stabilize phase-changing proteins

Most of the well-studied proteins in our bodies are like metal; some can change shape easily, like aluminum foil, and others are rigid, like steel beams, but they typically have a solid, well-defined structure.

2 Jul 2019

Protein Clumps In ALS Neurons Provide Potential Target For New Therapies

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a neurological condition that affects motor neurons -- the nerve cells that control breathing and muscles.

2 Jul 2019

New strategies for preventing and coping with rising burden of brain diseases

New strategies for preventing and coping with the growing burden of brain diseases were outlined today at the 5th European Academy of Neurology Congress in Oslo, Norway.

1 Jul 2019

Scientists unravel how cells unfold proteins

A happy cell is a balanced cell, but for every stupendously twisted protein it creates, it must tear the old ones asunder. That means untangling a convoluted pretzel-like mass for recycling. Cdc48 plays a critical role in unraveling the spent proteins.

29 Jun 2019

Anti-aging protein hormone Klotho shown to be neuroprotective in ALS model

Increasing the levels of the anti-aging protein hormone Klotho improves the neurological deficits and prolongs life span in an experimental model with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

28 Jun 2019

Study finds link between high BMI and lower risk of ALS

People who have a high body mass index or who gain weight as they get older may have a lower risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, according to a large study published in the June 26, 2019, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

27 Jun 2019

New case study about cannabis hyperemesis syndrome in palliative care

The medical use of cannabis is growing. Medical marijuana may improve symptoms including pain and anorexia. While it may improve nausea and vomiting, it can rarely cause a hyperemesis syndrome with chronic use.

11 Jun 2019

Researchers develop stem cell-based model to study neuron resilience and vulnerability in ALS

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have developed a stem cell-based model in order to study the resilience and vulnerability of neurons in the neurodegenerative disease ALS.

9 May 2019

Scientists describe how cells 'decide' between pluripotency and differentiation

Induced pluripotent stem cells can turn into any type of cell in the body or remain in their original form. In the current edition of Molecular Cell, scientists from the Helmholtz Zentrum München describe how cells “decide” which of these two directions to take.

3 May 2019