Perspective from Robert Bucelli, MD, PhD Dr. Robert Bucelli is a professor and neurologist at Washington University in St. Louis. He consults and cares for many people with ALS at the school’s world-renowned ALS Center. Dr. Bucelli is a paid consultant for Biogen and was compensated for this article.
Scientists have developed a new computer-based model that mimics the spinal cord’s neural networks to predict how nerve cells degenerate in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Using this simulation, researchers discovered that targeting a specific group of “coordinator” cells, known as V1 interneurons, could prevent motor neuron death.
Dewpoint Therapeutics has selected a novel small molecule designed to prevent the formation of abnormal TDP-43 protein clumps that drive nerve cell death in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other related conditions. The candidate is specifically designed to target condensates, or membrane-less structures that concentrate specific molecules to…
Three years after my husband, Todd, was diagnosed with ALS, I was learning how to live with the ongoing ache of grief. I found myself crying as I watched our then 7-year-old daughter, Sara, ice skate in her program’s spring show. She and the other girls were wearing sparkly…
Overactivity of a molecular system that normally helps clear unwanted proteins may contribute to nerve cell damage in certain genetic forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a new study suggests. The findings may open new avenues for treatment, researchers wrote in the study titled “Aberrant nuclear…
Mindwalk Holdings has identified and validated antibodies that selectively target an abnormal form of the TDP-43 protein, which is found in about 97% of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) cases and is also linked to other neurodegenerative diseases. The candidates include antibodies that could potentially be given as a…
The first few months after my husband, Craig, died from ALS in April 2022 were incredibly hard and a bit of a blur. I went through the motions, not really knowing or caring what I did. Once the relatives had gone, the funeral was over, and the house was…
When my late husband, Jeff, was diagnosed with ALS in 2018, I knew it would bring emotional challenges for both of us. I expected — correctly, as it turns out — that we’d feel scared, anxious, and sad. I recognized the immediate and lingering shock it brought in different…
The first patient has been dosed in a Phase 2 clinical study testing RAG-17, a therapy being developed by Ractigen Therapeutics for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) who carry mutations in the SOD1 gene (SOD1-ALS). The progression into the Phase 2 portion of the trial follows the…
Every step of an ALS journey is difficult, but somehow we’re wired with the ability to forget much of the pain and remember the good. I wrote last week about our current challenge of finding nighttime caregivers. After getting all of the shifts covered, one of our caregivers…
