News

Same But Different, a nonprofit U.K. group that uses art for social change, is inviting people to choose their favorite photographs in a calendar contest to heighten awareness of rare diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The organization’s panel of judges has pared the number of contest submissions…

Target ALS is teaming up with Spartan on a global initiative to raise funds for research that will contribute to the fight against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Called “The Toughest Challenge for the Hardest Fight,” the inaugural campaign asks participants to raise funds by participating in…

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…

Creatine kinase, a marker of muscle damage, is significantly elevated in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and higher levels of this protein correlate with better survival rates in patients, a recent study found. These findings suggest that monitoring creatine kinase levels is useful for predicting disease progression…

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…

An impairment in the activity of the RNA exosome complex, which cells use to degrade defective RNA molecules, could contribute to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) caused by mutations in the C9orf72 gene, a new study indicates. The study, “The RNA exosome complex degrades expanded hexanucleotide…

The Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA) has begun a campaign in the U.K. calling for more accessible homes for people with motor neuron diseases, which includes amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and a better system for delivering housing adaptations. Called Act to Adapt, the initiative follows the…

M102, a potential treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), is advancing into its first clinical study in patients through a partnership between researchers at England’s University of Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN) and Aclipse Therapeutics. This project is being supported in part by a $700,000 grant…

The Japan Patent Office has granted a patent to Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics covering the proprietary technique that generates the company’s cell-based therapy NurOwn from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Through this technique, researchers can harness MSCs directly from a patient and mature them into cells that produce…

Three grants given researchers at two centers in Australia will advance work into ways of preserving nerve cells in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and other motor neuron diseases. The grants, totaling AU$1.5 million (about $1.1 million), came from FightMND, an Australian nonprofit patient advocacy group. Lezanne…