Lindsey Shapiro, PhD,  science writer—

A new biopharmaceutical company has launched in the U.S. with more than $100 million in financing and a goal to develop a genomic medicine targeting the UNC13A protein as a novel treatment for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurodegenerative diseases. Trace Neuroscience kicked off its…

Alterations in the activity of ancient viral DNA that have been incorporated into the human genome may contribute to the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a study led by researchers at King’s College London. While earlier studies had started to identify connections between these ancient viruses…

Blood levels of eight small molecules called microRNAs can accurately distinguish people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) from healthy people or those with other neurodegenerative diseases, a study shows. Its developers believe this so-called “ALS fingerprint,” which has now been validated in multiple groups of people and in different…

A man with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) recently became the first person to control an Amazon Alexa device with his thoughts, via an investigational, implanted brain-computer interface (BCI) from Synchron. The 64-year-old man, identified in a Synchron press release as Mark, lost the function of his upper…

A home-based multidisciplinary care model for people living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) was found feasible, and was rated as highly satisfactory by both patients and caregivers, according to a pilot study conducted in Germany. The care model also helped patients avoid hospitalizations and remain at home during the…

A gene therapy aimed at stabilizing connections between motor nerve cells and interneurons — a type of cell that regulates motor nerve cell activity — eased motor dysfunction and promoted motor nerve cell survival in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a study by European…

Both beneficial and neurotoxic forms of the mineral selenium were increased in people with SOD1-associated amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) after six months of treatment with Qalsody (tofersen), a report shows. The elevations, which have been linked to ALS previously, could reflect a change in the antioxidant status of…

The investigational therapy BIIB078 was generally well tolerated in a Phase 1 clinical trial, but did not show evidence of slowing disease progression in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) caused by mutations in the C9orf72 gene, according to recently published data from the trial. Because the trial failed to…

Clene said it planned to give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) new data on CNM-Au8 for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) ahead of a meeting on a path to accelerated approval of the therapy. The company said it would submit a briefing book…

Researchers have identified gene activity changes that might explain why motor nerve cells selectively degenerate in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), offering insights into the development of new therapeutic targets for the neurodegenerative disease. In postmortem brain tissue, a particular group of these cells known to be lost in ALS…