News

AcuraStem has secured nearly $7 million in grant funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Defense (DOD) to accelerate the development of therapies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and related diseases. Coming on the heels of a…

Cigarette smoking, either currently or in the past, significantly increases the likelihood of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), particularly for women, according to a pooled meta-analysis of 32 studies. A risk of the neurodegenerative condition was higher in current smokers, and it increased in a non-linear manner with more…

The ALS Society of Canada (ALS Canada) has awarded two expedited grants totaling $200,000 to international researchers seeking to advance understanding of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Provided through the 2023 ALS Canada Acceleration Grant Program, a $100,000 grant will support Mónica Povedano, MD, at the Hospital de Bellvitge-IDIBELL…

Reduced activity of the TDP-43 protein, a hallmark of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), leads to changes in the DNA of nerve cells, which alters the activity of important genes, a new study reports. These findings may help explain how problems with this protein can contribute to the death of…

A European Medicines Agency (EMA) committee again has delayed issuing an opinion on whether to grant conditional approval to masitinib, a potential add-on oral therapy for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). AB Science, the therapy’s developer, now expects a recommendation in the second quarter of this year. The…

An early-stage clinical trial evaluating CK0803, Cellenkos‘ regulatory T-cell-based therapy for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), has completed dosing its first patient group, the company announced in a press release. The six patients, all adults, were treated at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center, in New…

On the heels of promising HEALEY-ALS Phase 2 trial data, Prilenia Therapeutics plans to launch a pivotal Phase 3 study of pridopidine, its candidate amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) treatment, in the second half of this year. Relative to a placebo, pridopidine was associated with slower disease progression,…

Dewpoint Therapeutics has received a grant from the Target ALS Foundation to advance the development of small molecules called c-mods, which will target the TDP-43 condensates thought to drive most cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Condensates are borderless compartments in cells that can cause cellular processes…

Blocking certain inflammatory signaling pathways may be one way to reverse nerve cell alterations that drive the symptoms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to preclinical research using a mouse model of the disease. In the mice, an ALS-associated mutation in the FUS gene caused caused motor neurons — the…

Up to three years of daily treatment with the investigational therapy IPL344 was well tolerated and slowed disease progression among adults with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to top-line data from a small Phase 1/2a clinical trial. Preliminary efficacy analyses also indicated that IPL344 might be able to…