Patricia Inácio, PhD, science writer —

Amgen and Neumora Therapeutics announced that they are collaborating to develop precision therapies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other brain diseases. The partnership will leverage each of the company’s expertise, with the goal of bringing to the market effective therapies targeted at those patients most likely…

Simultaneous injections of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into the blood and spinal canal were found to delay disease progression in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in a small clinical trial. “Our results demonstrated that the IT [intrathecal, or into-the-spine] and IV transplantation of [MSCs] in ALS patients…

Expansion Therapeutics has raised $80 million in funding to support the development of its small molecule RNA platform, called SMiRNA, for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurodegenerative diseases. The Series B financing will help the drug development company use its platform to discover small molecules targeting RNA…

Research into gene therapies for motor neuron diseases (MNDs), a group of progressive neurological disorders that includes amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is set to begin at the University of Sheffield in collaboration with Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult. Supported by a £513,141 (about $700,00) grant from LifeArc and the…

The ALS Association has launched a new diagnostic guide — called thinkALS — to aid neurologists in more quickly suspecting and diagnosing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at its early stages. Early diagnosis will allow patients to join clinical trials, and to access treatments and care at disease stages where there’s…

A French national agency has cleared AB Science to resume patient enrollment in the Phase 3 clinical trial investigating masitinib in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the company announced in a press release. AB had voluntarily suspended recruitment and treatment in all its masitinib clinical studies in…

ProMIS Neurosciences is advancing the development of antibodies against toxic TDP-43 protein clumps for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the company announced. Through lab and animal tests, ProMIS said in a press release, the company plans to validate its current antibodies, which include extracellular antibodies delivered…

A $10-million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will help fund the first U.S.-based clinical trial of Synchron’s Stentrode, a wireless brain device, implanted without open brain surgery, that transmits signals from the brain directly to a computer. The COMMAND trial will evaluate whether the device…

Bringing artificial intelligence (AI) to the development of small molecule therapies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurological diseases is the goal of a business partnership in Asia. The newly signed agreement is between Insilico Medicine, an AI-driven drug discovery company based in Hong Kong, and 4B Technologies of Suzhou,…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug designation to ketamine, PharmaTher’s investigational therapy for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Orphan drug status is intended to encourage the development of therapies for rare diseases affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the U.S. It provides…