Margarida Azevedo, MSc,  —

A new study led by researchers with the United Nations (UN) has projected that the number of cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) will increase by 69% over the next 25 years, primarily due to population ageing. According to the study “Projected increase in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis…

The U.S. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma’s new drug application (NDA) for edaravone as a treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). A decision regarding the intravenous treatment is expected by June 16, 2017, based on the U.S. Prescription Drug User Fee Act. If it is…

University of Miami researchers found high concentrations of toxins associated with neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), in the fins and muscles of 10 different shark species, some of them threatened by extinction due to overfishing. Such findings suggest that restriction of shark meat and fins consumption may have important…

Researchers at Harvard Medical School have made an important breakthrough in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research, identifying an enzyme that plays a key role in the demise of nerve cells in ALS patients and paving the way for research in new therapies. Their discovery has already set in motion the…

Cytokinetics recently announced that patient enrollment for its VITALITY-ALS clinical trial is now complete. The study, designed to assess the effects of tirasemtiv, a novel skeletal muscle activator, on respiratory function in ALS patients has enrolled over 700 people at 81 centers in 11 countries. VITALITY-ALS (NCT02496767) is an international, randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled trial in…

Proteasome, a cellular component, plays a key role in the maintenance of proper levels of proteins inside cells. Two researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have identified, through studies in a roundworm, key molecules in the pathway through which cells sense and repair proteasome abnormalities. Such findings may lead to new…

AB Science announced that the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP) has granted Orphan Drug status to masitinib, a potential treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Masitinib is an orally administered tyrosine kinase inhibitor targeting mast cells and macrophages, key immune system cells, that works to…

The ALS Association and the biopharmaceutical company Cytokinetics have announced the renewal and expansion of their partnership, established last year, to better treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients and educate the public about the disease. The renewal includes the continuation of Cytokinetics’ Gold Level Sponsorship of the National Walks…

Researchers at the University Medical Center Utrecht recently studied quality of life among people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and found that anxiety and depression impact poorer health related quality of life (HRQoL), while higher levels of religiosity and spirituality are associated with better overall (global) quality of life (QoL). The research paper,…

How cells recycle waste, an essential process to cellular health known to go astray in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other diseases, is more complex and interrelated than previously thought, researchers at the Neuromed Institute in Italy report. Their study, “The Autophagoproteasome a Novel Cell Clearing Organelle in Baseline and…