Margarida Maia, PhD, science writer —

A particular genetic variant that boosts the activity of the NEAT1 gene can push the onset of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) forward by more than three years, according to data from a large patient group in China. While the exact function of NEAT1 in ALS needs to be explored,…

Rapamycin, an approved medication used to prevent organ rejection after a kidney transplant, didn’t increase the number of regulatory T-cells in adults with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) who are taking part in a Phase 2 clinical trial. Along with not meeting its primary goal, RAP-ALS (NCT03359538) also…

Spinogenix has won a nearly $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to move ahead with clinical testing of SPG302, a small molecule candidate for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This is DoD’s Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs’ second grant to the company, following a…

A first healthy volunteer has been dosed in a Phase 1 clinical study evaluating how safe and well tolerated is CVN293, a treatment candidate for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Alzheimer’s disease, the therapy’s developer, Cerevance, announced. The treatment, given orally, is designed to block a protein…

Note: This story was updated Sept. 25, 2023, to correct that TW001 uses the same active ingredient as Radicava and Radicava ORS but is a different therapy. Treeway has chosen Specialised Therapeutics Asia, known as ST, as its partner to market TW001, an oral formulation of edaravone, for…

While eating a high-calorie diet is safe and well tolerated, it does not appear to slow disease progression or reduce the risk of death in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a review of published clinical trials found. Combining data from multiple trials helps to create a single, more…

A “velcro-like” protein called alpha-5 integrin consistently is found at high levels in immune cells near motor neurons being damaged or killed in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and those of mice in a disease model, a study reports. Blocking the protein in the mice slowed disease progression,…

InSilicoTrials and Axoltis Pharma are teaming up to advance the development of NX210c, the latter’s lead candidate for treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurodegenerative diseases. Axoltis will use InSilicoTrials’ simulation platform to see how well NX210c works in virtual simulations that mimic brain and…

A professor at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School was awarded $10,000 by Mass General Brigham (MGB) for her work to restore the levels of stathmin-2, a protein that is disrupted in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a related neurodegenerative condition, as a possible…

Athira Pharma’s experimental therapy ATH-1105 shows anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects, promoting neuron growth and reducing damage associated with mechanisms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a related condition. The small molecule reduced inflammation and the buildup of a faulty version of TDP-43, a protein that’s…