Patients, Caregivers Asked to Help Adira in Choosing Grant Awards

Patients, Caregivers Asked to Help Adira in Choosing Grant Awards

The Adira Foundation is inviting people with neurodegenerative diseases and their caregivers to join a grant proposal review committee. A nonprofit foundation, its mission is to unite people affected by some of most common neurodegenerative diseases — namely, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and…

When You’re Unequipped for Difficulty

“We were ill-prepared and unequipped for the hike,” I told my husband, Todd, after returning home. The kids and I went to see Douglass Houghton Falls in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula with my friend, who was visiting from out of town. Todd stayed home because he has ALS and is…

Companies Focus on ALS in Partnering AI, Drug Discovery Skills

Bringing artificial intelligence (AI) to the development of small molecule therapies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurological diseases is the goal of a business partnership in Asia. The newly signed agreement is between Insilico Medicine, an AI-driven drug discovery company based in Hong Kong, and 4B Technologies of Suzhou,…

On Second Thought, You Can Keep the Change

“Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes (turn and face the strange), Ch-ch-changes, just gonna have to be a different man.” — David Bowie Many people dislike change, some to the point of fearing it. According to author and motivational speaker Scott Mautz, writing for Inc.com, “Overcoming a fear of change can be as…

Subtle Changes in MicroRNA-218 May Fuel ALS

Dropping the levels of microRNA-218 (miR-218) — a small molecule that regulates the activity of other genes — below a certain threshold leads to severe motor neuron damage, paralysis, and death in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a study shows. The findings, combined with the fact that…

Masitinib Helps Keep Inflammatory Mast Cells From Spinal Cord

Mast cells, a type of immune cell, infiltrate the spinal cord of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients and rodent models of the disease, exhibiting pro-inflammatory features that are likely involved in motor neuron and microvasculature damage, a study suggests. Notably, treating these mice models with masitinib — an experimental oral…