As an ALS caregiver, I’m learning and adjusting as we go

My husband’s nose wouldn’t quit bleeding this past Sunday morning, preventing him from using his noninvasive ventilator. Todd is paralyzed from ALS, so he sat in his power wheelchair in front of the bathroom sink as I went to work. I packed his nostril with wadded up…

A potential new genetic risk factor for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has been discovered by researchers at the University of Washington. The scientists say a mutation in which a region of the WDR7 gene is repeated more times than usual may increase the risk of ALS. “We believe that…

Four people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) each experienced a marked slowing in disease progression with COYA 302, an experimental immune-modulating therapy tested in a small proof-of-concept clinical trial, according to Coya Therapeutics, its developer. Based on these findings, Coya is planning to start work on further trials to…

ALS has taught me many life lessons, and a very important one is to never give up. For example, some days I get up, get going, and suddenly notice that one of my body parts isn’t moving as well as the day before. It’s a small, quirky thing, like…

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients treated with Radicava (edaravone) tend to go longer before reaching disease milestones such as needing a walking aid or breathing support, according to an analysis of insurance data. The findings were presented at the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Clinical and Scientific Conference in…

Amylyx Pharmaceuticals is facing a new hurdle — a second round of questions from a European Medicines Agency (EMA) committee — in its quest to have AMX0035 approved as a treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in Europe. The questions, from the Committee for Medicinal Products for…

On a snowy morning three years ago, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, my late husband, Jeff, sped the entire length of the University of Michigan football field in his blue power wheelchair. Light snow was falling as his brothers and I watched him fly down the field, a…

Anew Medical‘s targeted gene therapy candidate, ANEW-202, eased multiple mechanisms associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), leading to improved muscle function and survival in a mouse model of the disease. The gene therapy, licensed on an exclusive worldwide basis from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, in Spain, is…

My husband, Todd, and I enjoy watching chickadees flit from a feeder that hangs from a mountain ash tree behind our house to one of the branches, where they crack the shells and eat the sunflower seeds. “Let Comet out,” Todd told me one morning. “There’s a squirrel in the…

QurAlis has secured $88 million to advance the clinical development of QRL-101 and QRL-201, its lead candidates for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The new series B financing, a second round of funding after the company met certain research milestones, brings the total investment to $143.5 million. The proceeds will…