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The European Union’s Joint Programme — Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND) invites researchers in 20 countries to work together in conducting and analyzing projects into various neurodegenerative diseases, so that they might identify common links and underlying mechanisms. Such “pathway ” analyses, the JPND said in a release, “could lead…

High levels of 25-hydroxycholesterol, a cholesterol-related molecule, may trigger neuronal death and accelerate amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) progression, according to a new study. The finding could lead to new ALS therapies that target the molecule. The study, “25-Hydroxycholesterol Is Involved In The Pathogenesis Of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis,” was published in the…

Low levels of vitamin D, found in the majority of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), are linked to more extensive loss of movement, but do not predict the course of disease over a year. Instead, researchers found that taking vitamin D supplements was associated with a faster decline. The study’s…

The Duke University ALS Clinic and the Freelon Foundation have announced a partnership to expand the school’s research on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The partnership will involve establishing an endowed professorship, providing funding for clinical trials, and increasing the number of patients the clinic can treat. Phil Freelon, who founded the Freelon Foundation…

Genervon Biopharmaceuticals has published a list of 89 genes associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) that are modulated by its drug candidate GM6. The identification of the genes regulated by GM6 helps to explain the mechanism of action of this treatment, which aims to improve neuronal repair and survival, and…

A new program at the University of Pennsylvania will pursue ways to use gene therapy and genome editing to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The Program of Excellence for Motor Neuron Disease, launched by researchers at the Orphan Disease Center (ODC) in the university’s Perelman School of Medicine, will receive…

Measures of respiratory muscle strength among patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) can predict survival, both with and without the need for mechanical ventilation. Studies in which solid objective measures of disease prognosis are still scarce. But, serving as markers of prognosis, these measurements may aid in the development of…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will allow MonoSol Rx to use a new form of its Riluzole therapy, Riluzole Oral Soluble Film (Riluzole OSF), to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) before the agency approves the new therapy. The FDA granted MonoSol Rx’s request that Riluzole OSF receive Investigational New Drug status, which…

AB Science SA‘s anti-inflammation treatment masitinib protects muscles and nerves against damage from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), researchers have concluded. Professor Luis Barbeito of the Institut Pasteur in Montevideo, Uruguay, presented the findings at the 27th International Symposium on ALS/MND (Motor Neuron Disease) in Dublin, Ireland, in December of 2016. Masitinib…

A protein called Nrf2 could clear away harmful miss-folded proteins causing Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases by activating “house keeping” mechanisms in the cells according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.