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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…

Biopharmaceutical MediciNova, Inc. will be present at the 26th International Symposium on ALS/MND (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/motor neurone disease) to host a session on its therapeutic strategies for the treatment of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). The company announced it will participate in the symposium to…

Two non-profit organizations, ALS Association and Prize4Life, have joined forces to launch a new challenge grant program called The ALS Assistive Technology Challenge. Inaugurated with an initial investment of close to $500,000, the new program intends to support research projects focused on new communication technology solutions for patients who suffer from…

The finding and validation of specific disease biomarkers are an unmet medical need for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) early diagnosis, patient care and monitoring. Neurofilaments, proteins that provide cytoskeletal support to neurons, are front and center in this scientific quest. Several studies have investigated the role of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) neurofilaments in…

University of Toronto (UT) researchers have uncovered the main genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a discovery that will lead to the development of new efficacious treatments. The work entitled, “Isoform-specific antibodies reveal distinct subcellular localizations of C9orf72 in amyotrophic lateral…

The ALS Association, a nonprofit organization of global research and support for people with ALS and the Clinical Research in ALS and related disorders for Therapeutic development (CReATe) consortium, recently announced that two new amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research projects have been selected for funding. The studies will advance the discovery…

In a newly published paper in the Science Translation Medicine journal entitled “Human endogenous retrovirus-K induces motor neuron disease“, researchers from the National Institutes of Health found ancient viral genes left in the human genome might awaken to harm neurons and contribute to the development…

Cloud-based drug design and development company, Cloud Pharmaceuticals, Inc., recently announced it has partnered with THERAMetrics holding AG to collaborate on breakthrough treatments for orphan central nervous system (CNS) diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). ALS results in the progressive loss of structure and function of neurons, ultimately leading to their death. Symptoms depend on patients…

Scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital may have unlocked the key to understanding amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other similar diseases of the nervous system. The study, titled “Phase Separation by Low Complexity Domains Promotes Stress Granule Assembly and Drives Pathological Fibrillization,” appeared in the September…