The clear, colorless liquid that fills and surrounds the brain and spinal cord may spread toxic protein aggregates from one nerve cell to others among people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a study in mice suggests. When repeatedly infused with the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from ALS patients, animals…
Exposure to a neurotoxic molecule produced by blue-green algae seems to raise a person’s odds of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), particularly for those under 65, a population-based study from Italy shows. The research examined individuals who lived close to freshwater systems — a river, lake, even a…
Rare variations in the TET2 gene seem to double a person’s risk of multiple neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and Alzheimer’s disease, according to a recent study. This gene codes for a protein involved in removing small chemical groups from DNA…
NurOwn, a cell-based therapy that protects and helps repair nerve cells, also may be able to curb the damaging brain inflammation that contributes to the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), recent findings suggest. Researchers believe this newly-found potential may extend the…
ProMIS Neurosciences announced its program for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is advancing, and scientists were able to generate a specific type of antibody against toxic TDP-43 protein clumps — a hallmark of this disease — that continuously damage nerve cells. These antibodies, called intrabodies because they…
The Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network (RDCRN) has opened an online survey to better understand how the COVID-19 outbreak is affecting people with rare diseases, their families, and caregivers. Survey questions cover a patient’s physical and mental health, supply of treatments, and access to healthcare, among other…
A student bioengineering team at Washington State University (WSU) has designed a mattress to help amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients and others with sleep or mobility issues rest better. The students — seniors Katie Lober, Jackson Rieb, and Sarah Schroeder — hope to patent their invention and also…
ALS Awareness Month has been observed each May since 1992. But this year, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced supporters to rethink ways to raise funds and awareness for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In previous years, May has been full of fundraising and educational activities such as outdoor bake…
Grant awards totaling $5 million will support six academic-industry projects into potential biomarkers and treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal degeneration (FTD), Target ALS and the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (AFTD) announced. The two groups joined to support this collaborative work as ALS and…
Agriculture and other areas that expose people to pesticides, paint solvents, electromagnetic fields, and heavy metals may increase their odds of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a population-based study from Italy shows. But larger studies are needed to confirm these findings, its researchers wrote, as only some risk factors…
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