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Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) all share a disease hallmark, the aggregation of “misfolded” proteins. Understanding the molecular processes underlying protein aggregation and how it leads to disease is an important step toward developing new therapies. Now, researchers at the University of Cambridge, in…

Japanese researchers have found possible biomarkers that could aid in the early detection of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The report, titled “Identification of plasma microRNAs as a biomarker of sporadic Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis” appeared on Oct. 24 in the journal Molecular Brain. In ALS…

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh studied the effect of the hormone serotonin in the regeneration of motor neurons after spinal cord injury that may one day hold implications in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), part of a large group of motor neuron diseases. The research paper, entitled “Serotonin Promotes Development…

Because amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is such a devastating disease, there is a need for novel and efficacious therapies and several studies hypothesize that growth hormone may be one of them. In a new review paper titled “The neuroprotective effects of human growth hormone as a potential treatment for amyotrophic lateral…

A consortium dedicated to finding a cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), comprised of ALS ACT, The ALS Association, ALS Finding a Cure, and the Translational Research Advancing Therapy ALS (TREAT ALS™) Northeast ALS Consortium (NEALS), has just announced the official start of acceptance of proposals for Phase II clinical trials for potentially groundbreaking treatments for the disease.

An ALS Association-sponsored meeting, held at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in Huntington, New York, brought together expert researchers to discuss three main themes in current amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research: antisense therapy, gene therapy and stem cell therapy. Recent ALS therapeutic approaches have not been very successful, with only one drug,…

The Rutgers’ Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, home to RUCDR Infinite Biologics — the world’s largest university-based biorepository — announced it has received a 5-year grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). The $6 million funding will allow Rutgers to assume management of the NINDS stem cell repository,…

Three recent studies published in the journals Nature and Nature Neuroscience identified a mutation in some forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal degeneration (FTD) that leads to neuronal death by disrupting the movement of molecules within the cellular nucleus. ALS and FTD are characterized by death…

Researchers at the Dalhousie Medical School and the Brain Repair Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, have successfully stimulated muscle fibers directly by light, bypassing the nervous system and showing for the first time that it is possible to restore function to denervated muscles. The research study, entitled “Direct optical…

Neurodegenerative disorders such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis and Huntington’s disease are central nervous system diseases characterized by the progressive loss of neuronal function and tissues. These disorders result from the inability of deteriorated and severely damaged neurons to auto-regenerate, affecting patients primarily during mid-to-late life. As world…