Mary Chapman, features writer —

Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America (MTPA) has launched a new database that locates healthcare providers, area infusion treatment centers, and in-home infusion services, with the goal of providing a one-stop convenient resource for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients and caregivers. The nationwide directory is available within the ALS…

In observance of ALS Awareness Month, the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) has launched a campaign aimed at sparking more discussion about the progressive neurological disease. A leading non-profit drug discovery center focused solely on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the institute hopes to build on the awareness-promoting…

On June 21, bicyclists will set out to make a three-day, 270-mile journey to raise funds for the ALS Therapy Development Institute. The Tri-State Trek expedition begins at Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, and ends in Greenwich, Connecticut. Proceeds go to the institute to advance its research into…

Continuing its support for a potential therapy for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Australia-based organization FightMND has granted about $700,000 to biopharmaceutical company Collaborative Medicinal Development. The money will fund a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of CuATSM, one of CMD’s lead investigational therapies. According to a news release, the…

The first group of teenagers and young adults has been chosen to participate in Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America’s (MTPA) ALSO US project, designed to promote awareness of the issues young people face when a parent or other loved one is diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Participants…

The Australian non-profit organization FightMND has awarded Lauren Sciences a AU$1 million ($710,000 US) grant to further the biotechnology company’s development of a new treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Specifically, the New York-based biotechnology company will use the funds to advance LAUR-301, a medicine that aims…

The ALS Association’s new #VoiceYourLove awareness campaign is getting a boost from celebrities and the TRON Foundation, a leading blockchain protocol. The initiative seeks to honor ALS patients who have lost the ability to speak, with the ultimate goal of discovering new therapies and a cure for…

Scores of events are afoot worldwide to mark Feb. 28, Rare Disease Day 2019. The activities aim to raise awareness about rare diseases and the millions of people — estimates run as high as 350 million — they are thought to impact. Across countries, patients, caregivers and advocates will paint faces, wear…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration(FDA) is updating its 2015 draft guidelines for drug discovery in rare diseases, with new guidance on natural history— how disorders such as spinal muscle atrophy(SMA) run their course if untreated — the choice of “efficacy endpoints” in clinical trials, and how…

A $300,000 grant from the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) will back AcuraStem’s preclinical development of an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patient-derived stem cell therapy that has the potential to treat a wide range of ALS patients. The grant will allow the biotechnology company AcuraStem to begin proof-of-concept studies of its…