News

AB Science recently announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has accepted a conditional marketing authorization application for the tyrosine kinase inhibitor masitinib to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). AB Science develops protein kinase inhibitors (PKIs), a class of targeted proteins that are key for signaling pathways within cells. It has been shown that blocking…

ALS patients are able to make self-determined decisions about their everyday life and their medical care, despite having moderate cognitive or behavioral impairment, suggests a study published in the scientific journal Neurology.

A report from scientists in the Netherlands indicates that patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) who develop frontotemporal syndrome (FS), do not survive much longer when given a ventilation mask. In fact, 30 – 50% of patients with ALS and behavior/cognitive deficits due to FC do not respond to the breathing mask, called non-invasive…

Several studies have shown that oligodendrocytes, cells that normally protect neurons, can also contribute to neuronal death in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Now, researchers demonstrate this toxic turn of events and show how these cells induce neuronal death. This finding may encourage new therapies for ALS to target the dysfunctional activity…

Neuraltus Pharmaceuticals has initiated the second Phase 2 clinical trial of NP001 for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), with the goal of confirming the clinical findings of the previous Phase 2 study in ALS patients with elevated levels of baseline inflammation. The study is currently recruiting…

By introducing a mutation in SOD1 — the protein believed to be responsible for a large part of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) cases — researchers managed to prevent the protein from clumping in a way that kills neurons. The study, “A Phosphomimetic Mutation Stabilizes SOD1 and Rescues…

Cigarette smoking may speed progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and reduce survival in patients with the disease, according to a new collaborative study from Italian universities and research institutes. The study, “Influence of cigarette smoking on ALS outcome: a population-based study” was published in The Journal of Neurology…

Most patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) develop respiratory problems in the advanced stage of their disease and are put on chronic ventilator support to improve their symptoms. Now a new study shows that despite improved respiration, the patients’ quality of life may worsen over time. The study, “Is Chronic…

Recent research identified molecules in  the cerebrospinal fluid of people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,  particularly phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain (pNfH), to be likely biomarkers for diagnosing ALS. ALS, an aggressive neurological disorder, is now diagnosed based on clinical evaluation. Biomarkers in the diagnostic process would allow clinicians to more easily distinguish ALS from…

Because of increasing evidence of metabolic disturbances in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients, researchers at the University of Queensland tested whether ALS could be targeted at the metabolic level. Results indicate that by increasing energy sources with the triglyceride supplement triheptanoin, they could delay motor neuron loss in an animal model.