Margarida Azevedo, MSc,  —

Persistent environmental pollutants like pesticides are associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and may represent modifiable ALS disease risk factors, according to a study published online in JAMA Neurology, titled “Association of Environmental Toxins With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.” ALS is a progressive, fatal neurodegenerative disease. Persistent exposure to…

Ammar Al-Chalabi, a professor of Neurology and Complex Disease Genetics at King’s College London, was presented with the  Sheila Essey Award at a special session of the recent American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting dedicated to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research. He was selected to receive the $50,000 award by both the ALS Association…

During the Drug Company Working Group session at the recent American Academy of Neurology annual meeting in Vancouver, Canada, a top researcher from Cytokinetics gave an update on a new Phase 3 study of  tirasemtiv as a potential treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and another from Biogen talked about a new trial to assess outcome measures in ALS…

The ALS Association and Prize4Life have launched a joint initiative worth $400,000, to award innovation in helping improve the lives of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The ALS Assistive Technology Challenge will award the development of flexible, accessible technology for ALS patients to communicate. The importance of the challenge is explained…

May marks ALS Awareness Month, a grassroots campaign led by the ALS Association to improve understanding of, and raise research money for, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Each May the ALS Association sponsors activities that include National ALS Advocacy Day, leading a delegation of ALS patients, their caregivers, and other advocates to Capitol Hill to urge…

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation has awarded a $25,000 New Century Scholars Research Grant to neuroscientist Jonathan Brumberg to develop a brain-computer interface (BCI) that directly controls existing augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices. The platform is expected to aid people with profound speech and motor impairments due to neurodegenerative disorders such as…

University of Florida Health researchers have developed a mouse model of the most common genetic mutation that causes amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The model, which captures the molecular, behavioral, and neurodegenerative features of the disease, could greatly aid in the development of more effective therapeutic agents. The paper detailing the model,…

Results from the Phase 3 trial of edaravone (MCI-186) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) were presented by Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation at the 68th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology held April 15-21 in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Phase 3 MCI-186-19 clinical study has reportedly met its primary efficacy endpoint of mean change…

The ALS Association and the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) announced the 2016 winners of its Clinical Research Training Fellowship and Clinician-Scientist Development Award in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research. The awards are given annually to young clinicians who propose promising and innovative ALS studies, both to foster their professional development…

Lauren Sciences, LLC, which specializes in medicines for neurodegenerative disorders using its V-Smart drug delivery platform, announced that it has received a second grant from the ALS Association to continue developing LAUR-301, a V-Smart nanomedicine targeting brain areas affected by motor neuron death in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). LAUR-301, developed using the V-Smart platform nanotechnology, is…