Aperture to advance potential treatment for ALS and dementia

Aperture Therapeutics has selected APRTX-001 as its lead candidate to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurodegenerative diseases. The therapy is designed to reduce the levels of CD33, a receptor protein on the surface of microglia — the resident immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS,…

In an upcoming episode of NBC’s TV show “Brilliant Minds,” actor Eric Dane will guest star as a character with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which he is also battling. ALS causes muscle weakness, which leads to other symptoms, such as trouble speaking, swallowing, and breathing. Though the…

M102, an experimental oral therapy designed to simultaneously activate two molecular pathways that protect against nerve cell damage, showed promise in preclinical models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a study. The compound, discovered and developed by researchers at the University of Sheffield’s Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN)…

Inflammasome Therapeutics is teaming up with the Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS at Massachusetts General Hospital to conduct a clinical trial evaluating its oral therapy candidate kamuvudine-9, or K9 for short, in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The collaboration is part of the Healey…

Transition Bio and Voyager Therapeutics are teaming up to discover and develop new small molecules that target the abnormal accumulation of TDP-43 clumps, a hallmark feature of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Under the terms of the agreement, Transition Bio will lead the…

I recently listened to an episode of Oprah’s podcast featuring Emma Heming Willis, whose husband, actor Bruce Willis, was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD). She wrote a book called “The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope, and Yourself on the Caregiving Path.” FTD and ALS are closely related: About…

When my late husband, Jeff, was diagnosed with ALS in the fall of 2018, I’d heard of the disease only peripherally. Like many, I’d completed the Ice Bucket Challenge in 2014 without an inkling that someday this disease would affect someone I loved. Swept up in the momentum…

Because the global population is aging and people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are living longer, the number of people with the disease is expected to rise by about 25% across multiple nations by 2040, according to a new study. In the U.S., nearly 9,000 more people are expected…

Scientists have developed a brain-computer interface (BCI) capable of instantly translating a person’s thoughts into written Mandarin Chinese. The technology expands the reach of BCIs, devices that capture brain signals to help people communicate, beyond its traditional focus on English speakers. It opens up the potential for millions more people…

Combining two blood biomarkers may make the diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) more accurate and help predict how fast the disease will progress, according to a new German study. The two markers are soluble neurofilament light chain, called sNfL — a known marker of nerve damage — and…