Patricia Inácio, PhD,  science writer—

Scientist Jingsong Zhou, PhD, has received a $2.88-million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study how amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) affects multiple organs beyond the central nervous system (CNS). “We are ultimately working to find some potential therapeutic means to treat the disease with a…

Researchers doing early-stage investigation into potential new ways to halt neuron death seen in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have received a grant from the Alabama Power Foundation. Rita Cowell, PhD, a researcher at Southern Research’s Drug Discovery division, and her team have identified certain compounds that in lab…

Low levels of membralin protein in the brain cells that support and protect neurons lead to the accumulation of the neurotransmitter glutamate to levels that induce the death of motor neurons in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a mouse study shows. A gene therapy that rescued the levels of…

Using a smartphone to collect amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients’ self-reported scores in the ALS-specific functional rating scale revised (ALSFRS-R) is feasible and shows a high correlation to scores collected at clinical sites, a small pilot study shows. The study “Design and results of a smartphone-based digital…

Use of statins, the blood cholesterol-lowering medications, for more than a year was linked to a lower risk of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) among older adults, a large Medicare beneficiaries-based study suggests. The study “Relationship of statins and other cholesterol- lowering medications and risk of amyotrophic lateral…

Injection of human neural stem cells into the spinal cord of people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) was found safe and did not cause adverse effects even two years after the transplant, results from a Phase 1 clinical trial show. Trial findings were published in the study, “Results…

People with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) who tolerated higher doses of tirasemtiv showed a trend toward slower decline in breathing muscle activity, although the difference was not statistically significant between those treated with the investigational therapy and those on a placebo, a Phase 3 clinical trial shows. These results may have…

The ALS Association has launched a financial aid program, called The Jane Calmes ALS Scholarship Fund, to help students whose lives are affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) pursue a college degree or vocational certificate. The scholarship program will award $5,000 a year to at least 30 students whose…

Accumulation of TDP-43 protein is known to drive neurodegeneration associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Now, researchers have found that targeting the structure of TDP-43 and blocking its normal activity can halt the death of nerve cells linked to TDP-43 accumulation in ALS and FTD models. The…

The Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) is financing eight new research projects aimed at developing new treatments and markers of disease progression for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The projects will investigate ALS mechanisms of disease, genetic causes, and pinpoint new therapy targets that can be used to develop better treatments. The…