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For more than four decades, comedian Jerry Lewis hosted the MDA Labor Day Telethon on behalf of the Muscular Dystrophy Association. That annual event helped the MDA become the nation’s largest non-government source of funding for neuromuscular disease research, with more than $1.4 billion disbursed since its establishment 68…

Differences in blood parameters, such as total protein levels, are associated with different stages of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), meaning they could become valuable biomarkers to track disease progression in clinical practice, a study suggests. The study, “Clinical disease stage related changes of serological factors in amyotrophic lateral…

Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America (MTPA), in collaboration with the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), is conducting a study to identify biomarkers related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which may be helpful to measure patient response to Radicava (edaravone). The study will be sponsored by MTPA, Radicava’s seller in…

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) prevalence in a large group of patients with Medicare coverage was found to be higher than that previously reported in the U.S., according to a study. Findings also revealed that having ALS was associated with shorter survival than other motor neuron diseases (MND). The study,…

Widely used to study several human diseases, zebrafish can now be a useful preclinical model to study amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) linked to angiogenin mutations, according to researchers at the University of Bath. The model was described in a study, “…

Long-term mercury exposure over a period of years may increase the risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis later (ALS) in life, a case report suggests. The study, “Heavy metal intoxication and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: causal or casual relationship?” was published in the journal Aging Clinical and Experimental Research.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may help detect muscle damage in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients, in particular muscles that are difficult to access using standard techniques, a small study finds. The research was published in an article, titled “A pilot study assessing T1-weighted muscle MRI in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,”…

A model of motor neuron disease based on patient-derived stem cells won the 2018 International 3Rs Prize for its potential to lessen or replace the use of animals as models in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research. The prize, given by the National Center for the 3Rs (NC3Rs) and sponsored by …

Amylyx has completed patient recruitment for the Phase 2 clinical trial CENTAUR, which addresses the safety and effectiveness of AMX0035 as an oral treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In 2017, Amylyx launched…

Several species of bacteria and fungi were found living in the central nervous system (CNS) of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) that could potentially be related to the development of the disease, a study reports. However, according to the researchers, more studies are still needed to confirm if…