Magdalena Kegel,  —

More amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients survived among those who completed a Phase 2 trial of MediciNova’s Ibudilast (MN-166), compared to those who dropped out of the study, according to an exploratory interim analysis. But the data, presented at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) 2017 Annual Meeting…

A compound that stabilizes a protein crucial for the survival of motor neurons helped cells of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients survive longer in experiments performed in lab dishes. The discovery builds on research about a childhood neuromuscular disease — spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) — and may lead to new treatments…

Insights into the behavior of TDP-43 — a key protein in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) development — may offer clues in preventing protein aggregation, potentially leading to new treatments for the disease. And the new level of understanding of how the protein is controlled and what it does in the cell…

Measuring blood levels of the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (CRP) in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) can help physicians track the disease, according to an Italian study of 394 people with ALS. Neuraltus Pharmaceuticals of San Bruno, Calif., believes this study further supports the idea that ALS may respond to inflammation-modulating…

A previously unknown mutation in the BICD2 gene caused juvenile amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in a Chinese woman in her 20s, according to a case study. The gene had previously been linked to other neurodegenerative conditions, prompting researchers to believe that the mutation can give rise to ALS when other…

Schizophrenia in relatives of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients is caused by shared genetic factors that increase the risk of both conditions, researchers confirmed. This prompted them to contend that scientists should view ALS as a disease of brain connections, rather than of individual brain cells. The way to treat…

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may be linked to genetic factors that promote cardiovascular fitness, according to a study indicating that ALS patients’ parents died of cardiovascular disease less often. But researchers underscored that it is not physical activity that increases the risk of ALS. The study, “Exploring…

Researchers have mapped the possible changes in shape of a key amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) protein that becomes mutated, a development that could lead to understanding how the mutations contribute to the disease’s progression. The knowledge could also lead to new therapeutic agents to target the mutations. The protein, angiogenin, is present…

A cardiovascular medication called Zontivity (vorapaxar) may be linked to a slight, but still increased, risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a review of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) documents on data from the drug’s clinical studies. While researchers noted that the risk of developing ALS is very…

People with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are frequently in pain, yet few studies focus on this aspect of the disease, according to an analysis by researchers at Italy’s University of Turin. Their study, “Pain in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,” recently appeared in the journal The Lancet Neurology. A comprehensive overview of published data,…