Steve Bryson, PhD, science writer —

Steve holds a PhD in biochemistry from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto, Canada. As a medical scientist for 18 years, he worked in both academia and industry, where his research focused on the discovery of new vaccines and medicines to treat inflammatory disorders and infectious diseases. Steve is a published author in multiple peer-reviewed scientific journals and a patented inventor.

Articles by Steve Bryson

QurAlis secures $88M to advance ALS therapies

QurAlis has secured $88 million to advance the clinical development of QRL-101 and QRL-201, its lead candidates for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The new series B financing, a second round of funding after the company met certain research milestones, brings the total investment to $143.5 million. The proceeds will…

Molecular ALS subtypes linked to age of disease onset, survival

Researchers have characterized three molecular subtypes of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), each one associated with different clinical outcomes, including age of disease onset, disease duration, and survival. These subtypes are based on unique patterns of gene activity in patient brain tissue and were independent of where the onset of…

New Pig Model May Better Capture ALS at Its Earliest Stages

A new pig model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) more accurately reflects the gradual motor neuron loss and disease progression seen in patients, and it may speed the development of ALS treatments, included gene and cell-based therapies, researchers report. The model carries a mutation in the SOD1 gene, an…

Phase 1 Safety Study Clears Path to Test Utreloxastat in ALS Patients

Utreloxastat (PTC857), an investigational therapy for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), was safe, well tolerated, and displayed promising pharmacological properties in healthy people, according to a first-in-human Phase 1 study. Based on these findings, the therapy’s developer, PTC Therapeutics, has launched a Phase 2 trial (NCT05349721)…

FDA Seeks Input on Tofersen’s Approval for ALS

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced an advisory committee meeting seeking advice on whether to approve Biogen‘s investigational therapy tofersen for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) caused by SOD1 gene mutations. The public meeting, to be held online March 22, by…

EpiSwitch Test May Help Classify ALS Patients: New Trial Data

EpiSwitch, a non-invasive, blood-based test developed by Oxford BioDynamics, successfully stratified patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) as fast versus slow progressors, according to an interim analysis of the REFINE-ALS study. These findings highlight the potential of the biomarker test to better classify disease progression in ALS patients…

Antisense Therapy Safely Dampens Mutant C9orf72 in ALS Patient

An experimental antisense oligonucleotide that works to suppress the mutant C9orf72 gene — a cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) — safely lowered the production of damaging proteins and other molecules in a patient in a pilot trial. “While other teams have documented that this gene can be suppressed in cells…

FDA Grants Priority Review to ALS Therapy AMX0035

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review Amylyx Pharmaceuticals‘ application seeking approval of AMX0035 for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The new drug application (NDA) also was granted priority review by the regulatory agency, which reduces review time from the standard…