Marisa Wexler, MS,  senior science writer—

A signaling protein called neurturin promotes the development of muscles with greater endurance, leading to better exercise performance and coordination, according to a new mouse study. The results suggest that therapeutic approaches using neurturin — for example, using a gene therapy that encodes the protein — might be useful…

A five-year National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant worth $2.4 million will support an Emory University researcher’s use of artificial intelligence (AI) to accurately and quickly — in real time — decode the electrical signals sent by the brain to control movement. Its ultimate goal is to find ways to “reconnect” the…

A national agency in Norway has given AB Science the go-ahead to resume enrollment in AB19001, a Phase 3 clinical trial investigating the safety and efficacy of the company’s investigational oral therapy masitinib in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). AB had voluntarily suspended recruitment and treatment…

I AM ALS, a nonprofit dedicated to helping people affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), is expanding its efforts in scientific research and public policy. The organization’s new Science and Policy program will include three key focuses, according to a press release emailed to ALS News Today.

Defects in cholesterol metabolism may account for some of the neurological damage that occurs in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other diseases marked by problems with the protein TDP-43, a study reported. As cholesterol  is crucial to nerve cells, these results suggest that restoring its metabolism may be a…

Treatment with the investigational oral therapy masitinib can extend lifespan when given early in the course of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a new study. “These long-term survival data, with an average follow-up of 75 months since diagnosis, suggest that masitinib can offer a substantial survival benefit…

A previously unknown form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) — one with onset during childhood — is caused by mutations that alter the production of certain lipids (fat molecules), scientists report. “We found that a genetic form of the disease can also threaten children. Our results show for the first…

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, in California, has been awarded an $11.99 million grant to support a clinical trial that will test specifically engineered neural progenitor cells as a potential therapy for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The work, funded by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, or CIRM, will build…

Eurordis opened a campaign, called Rare 2030 Action, that is seeking to establish a European action plan for rare diseases to ensure that none of the 30 million people in Europe living with rare diseases are left behind by the start of a new decade. As part of…

The European Patent Office will grant MediciNova a patent that covers the combination of MN-166 (ibudilast) and riluzole for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), MediciNova announced. The patent, once issued, will cover a wide range of doses and dosing regimens for both medications, and it…