News

Suppressing an enzyme known as MAP4K4 extended the survival of motor neurons collected from mice and patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and decreased the accumulation of toxic proteins associated with the disease, a study reports. These findings from the study, titled “MAP4K4 Activation Mediates Motor…

A “new voice” for people who cannot verbally communicate, such as those living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or recovering from stroke, is a step closer to becoming reality. Researchers from the Zuckerman Institute at Columbia University have developed a computer algorithm that can recognize a person’s thoughts as…

An immune response triggered by T-cells contributed to the elimination of motor neurons in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a study shows. The study, “Cytotoxic CD8+ T lymphocytes expressing ALS-causing SOD1 mutant selectively trigger death of spinal motoneurons,” was published in PNAS. ALS is…

SIRION Biotech and Denali Therapeutics have signed a new licensing agreement to develop a new generation of adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors, harmless viruses used as vehicles to deliver gene therapies, to allow therapies to reach into the central nervous system (CNS) of people  with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The…

An upcoming webinar will focus on the novel approach to clinical trial design in the Modifying Immune Response and Outcomes in ALS (MIROCALS) trial, which aims to break the current impasse in therapy development for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). During the webinar, P. Nigel Leigh, a motor neuron disease…

Tau and FUS proteins may contribute to a cellular process common to both amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and dementia, a rare case suggests. The case was reported in a study, “Combined FUS+ Basophilic Inclusion Body Disease and Atypical Tauopathy Presenting with an ALS/MND‐plus Phenotype,” published…

MediciNova’s  investigational therapy ibudilast (MN-166) combined with Rilutek (riluzole), for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurodegenerative diseases, has been given final approval — a notice of allowance stating that its request for a patent is being considered by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Receiving a notice of allowance is the final…

Swim training improves muscle strength and energy metabolism in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The study, “Swim Training Modulates Mouse Skeletal Muscle Energy Metabolism and Ameliorates Reduction in Grip Strength in a Mouse Model of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis,” was published in the International Journal…

The majority of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are excluded from participating in clinical trials, a large study has revealed. This finding raises questions on the extrapolation of trial results for this patient population. The researchers also stressed the need for individualized risk-based criterion to balance the gains in…

Harvard neuroscientists have discovered how the TDP-43 protein — previously linked to sporadic and inherited amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) cases — reduces the levels of a second player, called stathmin2 (STMN2) — which is necessary for neuron growth and regeneration — making the STMN2 gene a potential new therapeutic target. The study, “…