Motor Neuron Disease News and Research

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£1.6 million grant awarded to advance development of MND drug candidate

Researchers from the University of Sheffield's Institute for Translational Neuroscience have been awarded a £1.6 million grant from the Medical Research Council.

26 Jan 2021

Antiepileptic drug reduces early signs of clinical dysfunction in people with ALS

The antiepileptic drug ezogabine reduced pathologic excitability of cortical and spinal motor neuron cells that are early signs of clinical dysfunction in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a study conducted by the Neurological Clinical Research Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital.

10 Dec 2020

Study finds how the brain 're-wires' after neurological disease

Trinity College researchers are studying how the brain re-wires itself in neurological disease.

24 Nov 2020

Novel device can benefit patients with upper limb paralysis

A tiny device the size of a small paperclip has been shown to help patients with upper limb paralysis to text, email and even shop online in the first human trial.

29 Oct 2020

Experimental ALS drug shows potential to prolong patient survival

An experimental medication that was recently shown to slow the progression of the neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease, has now demonstrated the potential to also prolong patient survival.

16 Oct 2020

Study implicates new gene as driver of motor neuron diseases

Failures in a quality control system that protects protein-building fidelity in cells can lead to motor neuron degeneration and related diseases, according to a new study from an international team co-directed by Scripps Research molecular biologist Claudio Joazeiro, PhD.

16 Sep 2020

Experimental drug for ALS shows promising results in clinical trial

An experimental medication slows the progression of the neurodegenerative disease called Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease, according to recently released results from a clinical trial run by investigators at the Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS at Massachusetts General Hospital and Amylyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the company that manufactures the medication.

2 Sep 2020

Trinity College researchers to participate in gene-based clinical trial for motor neuron disease

Researchers at Trinity College Dublin are to participate in an early phase gene-based clinical trial for motor neuron disease (MND). The research team represents one of only four centres in Europe to take part in such an exciting clinical trial for this devastating disease.

2 Sep 2020

Discovery could significantly improve diagnosis of motor neuron disease

Scientists at the University of Sussex have identified a potential pattern within blood which signals the presence of motor neuron disease; a discovery which could significantly improve diagnosis.

17 Jun 2020

Biomarkers needed to support the diagnosis of frontotemporal lobar degeneration

Biomarkers to support the diagnosis of frontotemporal lobar degeneration and to assess the severity and expected prognosis of the disease are needed.

15 Jun 2020

New treatments for sleep apnea and other weak muscle conditions to be unveiled at global biotech event

A world-first therapeutic for treating sleep apnea and a range of other weak muscle conditions will be unveiled at global biotech innovation event, Bio Digital (June 8-12).

4 Jun 2020

Study pinpoints electrophysiological mechanism behind upper motor neuron disease

Scientists from Northwestern Medicine and the University of Belgrade have pinpointed the electrophysiological mechanism behind upper motor neuron disease, unlocking the door to potential treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia and Primary Lateral Sclerosis.

21 May 2020

New trial platform could help evaluate potential therapies for Parkinson’s disease

Despite 30 years of research, not a single therapy has been found to successfully delay or stop the progression of Parkinson's disease.

6 May 2020

Inhibition of sphingolipid metabolism and neurodegenerative diseases

Disrupting production of sphingolipids in neurons improved neurodegeneration symptoms and increased survival in a mouse model.

13 Apr 2020

Gene that could affect the progress of ALS discovered

Researchers from the Zuckerman Institute at Columbia University have successfully found a gene that could work towards accelerating the progression of ALS or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The study titled, "The loss of TBK1 kinase activity in motor neurons or in all cell types differentially impacts ALS disease progression in SOD1 mice," was published in the latest issue of the journal Neuron.

29 Mar 2020

Blue light illuminates key ALS pathologies in zebrafish

A joint research group in Japan has succeeded in reproducing key ALS symptoms in a small tropical fish by remote controlling a disease-associated protein molecule using light illumination.

26 Feb 2020

Research uncovers protective role of astrocytes in sporadic motor neuron disease

Support cells in the nervous system help protect motor neurons in the early-stages of sporadic motor neuron disease, according to new research from the Crick and UCL.

10 Feb 2020

Study identifies molecular 'bridge' between ALS-causing genes

The enzyme Gemin3 was identified as the molecular 'bridge' between genes whose mutation or disruption causes amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, according to a new study in Nature's Scientific Reports from scientists at the University of Malta.

16 Jan 2020

Research findings may one day help keep ALS at bay

A new study published in the journal Nature Medicine on December 23, 2019, shows how to silence a defective gene responsible for the degeneration of the motor neurons in Lou Gehrig’s disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), in adult mice. This could help prevent disease progression if the condition is already symptomatic, and even suppress the illness if it has not yet started.

23 Dec 2019