José Lopes, PhD, managing science editor —

Patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are at increased risk for having pressure sores (PrS), according to a recent study. This risk is especially high for women and young patients, the findings showed. The study “Risk of developing PrS in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients – a nationwide cohort…

Specific alterations in RNA processing are molecular hallmarks of familial and sporadic forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a new study suggests. This research might lead to more discoveries  about how ALS develops and ultimately contribute to a cure. The study, “Intron retention and nuclear loss of SFPQ are…

A new portable system provides insights into the altered tongue, lip, and jaw motion in amyotrohic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients with a speech disorder called dysarthria. The instrument could be valuable for both diagnosis and treatment of speech impairment. The study, “Articulatory Range of Movement…

An experimental oral formulation of edavorone for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), called TW001, demonstrated promising pharmacological and safety data in a Phase 1 clinical trial, according to the biotech Treeway. The randomized trial compared TW001 to Radicava (Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America), an intravenous medication approved…

The distinct processes that drive FUS proteins to aggregate and clump in both amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) were detailed in a new report. The study, “Phase Separation of FUS Is Suppressed by Its Nuclear Import Receptor and Arginine Methylation,” appeared in the journal Cell. The…

Worldwide Clinical Trials and the healthcare technology company Datavant are partnering in an effort to improve trials in neurological diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). With the aging of Western populations, neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s represent an increasingly high…

Newly developed molecular treatment candidates called small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) have been successfully delivered to the brain and spinal cord in a rat preclinical study, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals recently announced. According to the company, the development of siRNAs may lead to the prevention or treatment of diseases such as amyotrophic…

Patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) show high prevalence of hypermetabolism, which leads to more rapid physical decline and earlier death, new study reports. The research, “Hypermetabolism in ALS is associated with greater functional decline and shorter survival,” appeared in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry.

MediciNova’s investigational therapy MN-166 (ibudilast) was able to delay disease worsening and improve survival in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients, updated data from a Phase 2 clinical trial show. The study, “Ibudilast — Phosphodiesterase Type 4 Inhibitor — Bi-Modal Therapy with Riluzole in Early [Not…

New antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) molecular therapies targeting the most common gene mutation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia reduced brain disease hallmarks in a mouse study, researchers found. The study, “Stereopure Antisense Oligonucleotides Preferentially Knockdown G4C2 Repeat-Containing C9ORF72 Transcripts: A Potential Therapeutic Approach for the Treatment…