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ALS TDI and Oxford BioMedica extend collaboration to develop gene therapies for Lou Gehrig's disease

The ALS Therapy Development Institute and Oxford BioMedica announced today the extension of their collaboration following successful completion of the first phase. The extended collaboration, which is funded by the Muscular Dystrophy Association, aims to advance the development of Oxford BioMedica's preclinical gene therapy candidate, MoNuDin®, and to evaluate other gene-based strategies for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease).

28 Jan 2010

Talampanel slows progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

A drug already used to treat symptoms of epilepsy has potential to slow the muscle weakening that comes with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), scientists report after completing a Phase II clinical trial-an early, small-scale test to show if the drug works and continues to be safe.

5 Jan 2010

UT researchers identify new molecule that slows ALS progression in mice

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found that a molecule produced naturally by muscles in response to nerve damage can reduce symptoms and prolong life in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

11 Dec 2009

Prize4life partners with Jackson Laboratory on AML research

Prize4Life, an organization dedicated to finding a cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease), is partnering with The Jackson Laboratory to help more researchers identify treatment candidates that increase the lifespan of mice that model ALS.

11 Dec 2009

Neurotoxic heavy metal can slow the progression of Lou Gehrig's disease

New discoveries have been made about how an elevated level of lead, which is a neurotoxic heavy metal, can slow the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease - findings that could point the way to a new type of therapy.

1 Dec 2009

ALS research collaboration receives philanthropic funding

Three prominent philanthropic organizations – The Angel Fund, The ALS Therapy Alliance and Project ALS -- dedicated to finding a treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have financed a new collaboration between one of the world’s leading ALS researchers and RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company pursuing the development and commercialization of proprietary therapeutics based on RNA interference (RNAi).

30 Nov 2009

Image of a water flea wins top prize in the 2009 Olympus BioScapes Digital Imaging Competition

A glowing, eerily beautiful image of a water flea with its radiant green "crown of thorns" took top prize in the 2009 Olympus BioScapes Digital Imaging Competition®, the world's foremost forum for showcasing microscope photos and movies of life science subjects. Dr. Jan Michels, a zoologist at the University of Albrecht, Kiel, Germany, took top honors for the image of a water flea, with its defensive "crown of thorns" to protect it against predators. The image reveals not only the exoskeleton, but also interior detail down to the nuclei within its cells, seen as tiny, glowing blue dots. This

From Evident Corporation - Life Sciences 20 Nov 2009

Transplantation of hESC-derived OPCs spare spinal cord tissue in the cervical lesion site: Study

Geron Corporation today announced the publication of data showing that oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), when transplanted into a rodent model of cervical spinal cord injury, reduced tissue damage within the lesion and improved recovery of locomotor function.

12 Nov 2009

Tetracycline-like compound raises hope for treatment of spinal muscular atrophy

A chemical cousin of the common antibiotic tetracycline might be useful in treating spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a currently incurable disease that is the leading genetic cause of death in infants. This is the finding of a research collaboration involving Adrian Krainer, Ph.D., of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) and scientists from Paratek Pharmaceuticals and Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science.

5 Nov 2009

CIRM awards Salk Institute $10.8M grant to develop stem-cell based therapy for Lou Gehrig's Disease

The Salk Institute has been awarded a $10.8 million grant by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) for translational research focusing on developing a novel stem-cell based therapy for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) - or Lou Gehrig's Disease.

29 Oct 2009

Moores UCSD Cancer Center awarded $20 million for cancer research

Researchers led by Moores UCSD Cancer Center Director Dennis A. Carson, MD, professor of medicine, and Catriona Jamieson, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine and director of the Cancer Stem Cell Research Program at the Moores UCSD Cancer Center have been awarded $20 million over four years to develop novel drugs against leukemia stem cells.

28 Oct 2009

APC enzyme may be effective for treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

A chemical cousin of a drug currently used to treat sepsis dramatically slows the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, in mice. The results offer a bit of good news in efforts to develop a therapy to stop or slow the progression of a disease that generally kills its victims within just a few years.

26 Oct 2009

Intellectual property covering compounds that have utility in treating SMA licensed

Repligen Corporation announced today that it has entered into an exclusive license agreement with Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (FSMA) for intellectual property covering compounds which may have utility in treating Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA).

23 Oct 2009

iPierian to participate in $3.7 million NIH grant awarded to The Johns Hopkins University

iPierian, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on changing the paradigm of drug discovery and development through the application of cellular reprogramming, today announced that it has been selected to participate in a $3.7 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) Grand Opportunities (GO) grant awarded to The Johns Hopkins University.

22 Oct 2009

NIH awards $3.7 million to Johns Hopkins scientists for research on stem cells developed from ALS patients' skin

Johns Hopkins scientists have been awarded a $3.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to learn more about the nerve and muscle-wasting disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) using stem cells developed from ALS patients' skin. The award, given over a two-year span, will be shared with three other laboratories, including one at Harvard University and two at Columbia University.

22 Oct 2009

Researchers find the genetic mutation that is linked with changes in brain development

For decades, scientists have thought the faulty neural wiring that predisposes individuals to behavioral disorders like autism and psychiatric diseases like schizophrenia must occur during development. Even so, no one has ever shown that a risk gene for the disease actually disrupts brain development.

19 Oct 2009

Multi-million dollar cooperative agreement for SMA drug development program

Paratek Pharmaceuticals (Boston, MA) and Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (Elk Grove Village, IL) announced today that a jointly funded drug development program for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) has been awarded a multi-million dollar cooperative agreement from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).

19 Oct 2009

New mouse models resembles human ALS; may provide important tool for screening new drugs

A new mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) closely resembles humans with the paralyzing disorder, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report.

13 Oct 2009

Mouse model of ALS closely resembles humans with the paralyzing disorder, says report