Marta Figueiredo, PhD, managing science editor —

A small molecule called microRNA-182-5p (miR‐182‐5p) is involved in the detection of cell stress and in the survival of motor neurons, the cells progressively lost in people in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a study in mice showed. These findings shed light on the mechanisms behind ALS’ stress-associated nerve cell…

Low doses of Clinigen’s aldesleukin, an immunotherapy used in certain types of cancer, safely boosted the number and function of regulatory T-cells (Tregs), a type of immune cell that keeps others in check, in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to data from a pivotal Phase 2…

People with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have significantly lower levels of a small molecule called microRNA-335-5p (miR-335-5p), which promotes the degradation of mitochondria and nerve cell death, a study shows. These findings suggest that dysregulation of miR-335-5p may contribute to neurodegeneration in ALS patients, which may be useful…

Target ALS and The ALS Association will jointly fund two projects focused on the development of new tests to evaluate TDP-43’s potential as a biomarker of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Nearly all ALS cases are characterized by the formation of toxic aggregates (clumps) containing the TDP-43 protein. These…

Eight patients will receive jacifusen, an experimental therapy for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) caused by FUS gene mutations, under a joint effort from the ALS Association, Project ALS, and Columbia University’s Eleanor and Lou Gehrig ALS Center. The new clinical research program, which will be supported…

The presence of autoantibodies against a calcium channel in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may explain the frequent development of type 2 diabetes in these patients, a preclinical study suggests. The data, which pinpoint the toxic effects of these autoantibodies in mouse insulin-secreting pancreatic cells, shed light on…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the evaluation of the first three candidate therapies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in the HEALEY ALS Platform Trial. This trial model, designed to accelerate the development of ALS therapies by assessing multiple treatment candidates simultaneously, is the first of…

A newly discovered self-destructive mechanism in mitochondria, the cells’  powerhouses, may be one of the first deficits leading to motor neuron degeneration associated with toxic TDP-43 clumps — a hallmark of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). That evidence from a preclinical study suggests available therapies against mitochondrial degeneration might help halt neurodegeneration…

ALS News Today brought you daily coverage of key findings, treatment developments, clinical trials, and other important events related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) throughout 2020, a year marked by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a…

Researchers with Orion Corporation presented new data on levosimendan‘s mechanism of action, and potential biomarkers of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) progression. The data were recently presented in four posters at the 30th International Symposium on ALS/MND, held Dec. 4–6, in Perth, Australia. Levosimendan, a small molecule that acts…