Steve Bryson, PhD,  science writer—

The Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) has awarded five new grants totaling more than $1.6 million to boost research of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). These grants add to the $168 million already donated to ALS research by…

Saphyr, an ultra-long DNA analysis technology by Bionano Genomics, is the first to successfully measure very large repeat expansions in the C9ORF72 gene, the underlying cause of some amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) cases, the…

A combined analysis using people of Japanese, Chinese, and European ancestry identified five new genes associated with the non-familial, sporadic form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).  These findings further an understanding of the genetic basis of sporadic ALS, and may support…

Aural Analytics’ speech-based digital technology will be used to measure changes in speech in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) as endpoints for the HEALEY ALS Platform Trial, which is evaluating multiple potential ALS treatments…

Stem cells collected from a patient’s bone marrow and infused into the spinal fluid safely improved speaking abilities after 28 days for most of the 12 adults with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) evaluated in a small study. Its researchers recommend further…

The gut microbiome in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is altered compared to healthy people, which includes an imbalance in potentially protective microbial groups and others with pro-inflammatory activity, a study found.  Also, while taking probiotic supplements over six months…

Changes in commonly tested blood biomarkers in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may be associated with faster disease progression and an increased risk of mortality, according to a recent study. Given the easy access and low cost of these standard…

A comparison of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) among U.S. military veterans found those who lived the longest with this disease — an average of 16.3 years in more than 40% of those studied —  had a younger age at onset but slower initial progression.  Findings…

A molecule that prevents cell death was able to prevent and reverse clumping of a mutant form of the protein superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) — the underlying cause of some familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) cases.  …

Studies in animal models investigating mitochondrial abnormalities in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) found that therapies targeting mitochondria — the powerhouses of cells — are consistently effective in prolonging survival, a review concluded. The review study, “Targeting…