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.
I’m looking forward to several events coming my way this holiday season. Not that my social calendar is filled up. Right now, I only have a few family get-togethers scheduled, all at restaurants with scrumptious buffets. (Yay!) I’ve learned, however, that holiday activities mixed with my ALS can add…
A bipartisan team of congressional representatives is pushing for new legislation that aims to understand why veterans are at increased risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and develop strategies to reduce this risk. The bill, dubbed the “Veterans with ALS Reporting Act,” was created in partnership with the…
Aperture Therapeutics has selected APRTX-001 as its lead candidate to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurodegenerative diseases. The therapy is designed to reduce the levels of CD33, a receptor protein on the surface of microglia — the resident immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS,…
In an upcoming episode of NBC’s TV show “Brilliant Minds,” actor Eric Dane will guest star as a character with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which he is also battling. ALS causes muscle weakness, which leads to other symptoms, such as trouble speaking, swallowing, and breathing. Though the…
M102, an experimental oral therapy designed to simultaneously activate two molecular pathways that protect against nerve cell damage, showed promise in preclinical models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a study. The compound, discovered and developed by researchers at the University of Sheffield’s Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN)…
Inflammasome Therapeutics is teaming up with the Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS at Massachusetts General Hospital to conduct a clinical trial evaluating its oral therapy candidate kamuvudine-9, or K9 for short, in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The collaboration is part of the Healey…
Transition Bio and Voyager Therapeutics are teaming up to discover and develop new small molecules that target the abnormal accumulation of TDP-43 clumps, a hallmark feature of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Under the terms of the agreement, Transition Bio will lead the…
I recently listened to an episode of Oprah’s podcast featuring Emma Heming Willis, whose husband, actor Bruce Willis, was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD). She wrote a book called “The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope, and Yourself on the Caregiving Path.” FTD and ALS are closely related: About…
When my late husband, Jeff, was diagnosed with ALS in the fall of 2018, I’d heard of the disease only peripherally. Like many, I’d completed the Ice Bucket Challenge in 2014 without an inkling that someday this disease would affect someone I loved. Swept up in the momentum…
