News

The ALS Association (ALSA) recently held its sixth annual Heroes Luncheon, honoring outstanding people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) whose efforts have made significant contributions to the ALS community. The four honorees at the Feb. 5 luncheon in Atlanta, Georgia, were: Nanci Ryder, a Hollywood publicist and co-founder of…

The ALS Association announced that it has awarded a total of $755,855 in financial grants supporting new clinical management projects to address unmet needs in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) care. For this grant program, the ALS Association defined areas of priority research and invited experts to submit their proposals, according to a…

ProMIS Neurosciences announced that it has established Business (BAB) and Scientific (SAB) advisory boards to advance the company’s work. ProMIS is developing its first products focused on more effective treatments of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). “Our number one goal is to create the appropriate precision therapeutics and companion diagnostics…

Physical trauma at earlier ages appears associated with an increased risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a study titled “Physical Trauma and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Population-Based Study Using Danish National Registries” published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease and Charcot…

Cognitive impairment may present an obstacle for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) using brain-computer interface devices, according to a study published in the Journal of Neural Engineering. The findings underscore the importance of considering disease heterogeneity when designing these potentially beneficial devices for clinical use. The study, “Performance…

Researchers have, for the first time, managed to selectively alter gene expression in brain motor neurons of mice modeling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) without affecting other neurons in the motor cortex. The results are a major step forward in efforts to develop gene replacement therapy for ALS. “The brain is…

Oregon State University researchers were able to stop the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease) for nearly two years in a specific type of mouse model. The treatment allowed the animals to live for 650 days – 500 days longer than any other previous treatment has managed.

Biopharmaceutical company Neuralstem presented new and potentially promising results from its clinical investigations of NSI-566 — human spinal cord-derived neural stem cells for the treatment of conditions including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) — at the recent Phacilitate Cell & Gene Therapy World conference in Washington, D.C. Karl Johe, the company’s chairman and chief scientific officer, reported that two clinical trials…

A report from the Boston University School of Public Health shows that Gulf War Illness is a result of exposure to pesticides and other toxins used in the Gulf War. The report also notes that in addition to Gulf War Illness, deployed Gulf War veterans suffer higher rates of stroke, brain cancer and…

The U.S. Department of Defense announced that nine researchers are the winners of the 2015 ALS Research Program (ALSRP), which aims to improve treatment and find a cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) by funding preclinical research into the disease. The winners were announced in a press release by the ALS…