Motor Neuron Disease News and Research

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Brain-computer interface could revolutionize lives of people with completely locked-in syndrome

A computer interface that can decipher the thoughts of people who are unable to communicate could revolutionize the lives of those living with completely locked-in syndrome, according to a new paper publishing January 31st, 2017 in PLOS Biology.

1 Feb 2017

Orphan Disease Center establishes new initiative that focuses on ALS

The Orphan Disease Center in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has established a new Program of Excellence for Motor Neuron Disease.

10 Jan 2017

CSHL researcher-inventor hails FDA approval of new SMA drug

Within a week of Christmas day, a drug called nusinersen will be in the hands of doctors across the nation, who will use it, most urgently, to treat young children with a severe and potentially fatal illness called spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).

26 Dec 2016

Scientists uncover novel sites of expression in the brain for gene linked to ALS and FTD

For the first time novel expression sites in the brain have been identified for a gene which is associated with Motor Neuron Disease and Frontotemporal Dementia.

1 Aug 2016

Researchers explore how ALS develops from muscle perspective

In an effort to better understand what happens during Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), researchers at Umea University in Sweden have compared the impact of ALS on the eye and limb muscles.

3 Jun 2016

Small peptide TAxI holds promise for carrying biologic drugs into spinal cord

A small peptide dubbed TAxI is living up to its name. Recent studies show it to be an effective vehicle for shuttling functional proteins, such as active enzymes, into the spinal cord after a muscle injection.

17 Feb 2016

Professor Hawking to open inaugural Cambridge Rare Disease Summit on 14 September, 2015

Professor Hawking was famously diagnosed with the rare motor neuron disease at 21, and was told science had no answers. He has of course gone on to live a long and productive life, and the Cambridge Rare Disease Summit will discuss how to make this a reality for the 3.5 million other Britons who live with a rare disease.

11 Sep 2015

New fly model developed to study motor neuron degeneration

Researchers at the Babraham Institute and University of Massachusetts Medical School in the United States have developed a new model to study motor neuron degeneration and have used this to identify three genes involved in the neurodegeneration process. These findings could have relevance for understanding the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other forms of motor neuron disease (MND).

7 Aug 2015

Key differences identified among patients with ALS

Researchers on Mayo Clinic's Florida campus have identified key differences between patients with sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) and those with the most common genetic form of ALS, a mutation in the C9orf72 gene.

21 Jul 2015

UCL research opens up new way to treat neurological disorders

The way that tetanus neurotoxin enters nerve cells has been discovered by UCL scientists, who showed that this process can be blocked, offering a potential therapeutic intervention for tetanus. This newly-discovered pathway could be exploited to deliver therapies to the nervous system, opening up a whole new way to treat neurological disorders such as motor neuron disease and peripheral neuropathies.

28 Nov 2014

Cedars-Sinai to participate in a consortium studying motor neuron disorders

Investigators at the Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute have received a grant from the National Institutes of Health to participate in a consortium taking the study of motor neuron disorders - such as Lou Gehrig's disease and spinal muscular atrophy - to a new, comprehensive perspective.

26 Sep 2014

New study sheds light on longstanding question about role of mitochondria in motor neuron diseases

A new study by researchers at the University of Utah School of Medicine sheds light on a longstanding question about the role of mitochondria in debilitating and fatal motor neuron diseases and resulted in a new mouse model to study such illnesses.

22 Sep 2014

Using iPS technology researchers develop new therapies for Parkinson's disease and ALS

Dresden. Dr. Jared Sterneckert is entering the research area "Neurodegenerative Diseases" of the DFG Research Center and Cluster of Excellence at the TU Dresden as a new junior group leader. Since 2006, he has led a team working at the "Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine" in Münster to develop models of Parkinson's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

3 Sep 2014

Researchers reveal potential new drug target for dementia

Researchers at King's College London have discovered how a molecular 'scaffold' which allows key parts of cells to interact, comes apart in dementia and motor neuron disease, revealing a potential new target for drug discovery.

4 Jun 2014

UCL scientists find new way to artificially control paralyzed muscles using light

A new way to artificially control muscles using light, with the potential to restore function to muscles paralysed by conditions such as motor neuron disease and spinal cord injury, has been developed by scientists at UCL and King's College London.

7 Apr 2014

High-carbohydrate, high-calorie diet could delay progression of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

A high-carbohydrate, high-calorie diet could delay the progression of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease or Lou Gehrig’s disease, according to a phase 2 study published in The Lancet.

3 Mar 2014

LA Fitness to host in-club Group Fitness class in support of Augie's Quest

In support of Augie's Quest, LA Fitness announced today that it will host an in-club Group Fitness class at more than 500 of the company's locations on February 22, 2014. Augie's Quest is a nonprofit research initiative dedicated to finding treatments and a cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). LA Fitness has donated to Augie's Quest for several years, and this year's fundraiser marks the fourth in-club event the company has held in support of this worthy cause.

13 Feb 2014

Scientists identify new toxic entity associated with dementia and motor neuron disease

A new toxic entity associated with genetically inherited forms of dementia and motor neuron disease has been identified by scientists at the UCL Institute of Neurology. The toxin is the result of a genetic mutation that leads to the production of RNA molecules which could be responsible for the diseases. The findings are published in the journal Acta Neuropathologica.

31 Oct 2013

Newly opened Manchester-based DNA bank may support discoveries on motor neuron disease

A specialist DNA Bank, based at The University of Manchester, is now open to the worldwide research community, supporting more crucial discoveries about motor neurone disease (MND), a devastating terminal illness.

5 Oct 2013

Researcher uncover biomarkers from stem cells derived from bone marrow of ALS patients

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating motor neuron disease that rapidly atrophies the muscles, leading to complete paralysis. Despite its high profile - established when it afflicted the New York Yankees' Lou Gehrig - ALS remains a disease that scientists are unable to predict, prevent, or cure.

10 Jul 2013