On occasion, I’ll page through the photo books my husband, Todd, made for me as Christmas gifts. I feel a sense of gratitude as I look back on all we’ve been able to do since his ALS diagnosis. Family game nights. Outings to sporting events. Family movie nights. Several…
Looking Back on 11 Years of Our Joyful Sorrow
Stem cells derived from fat tissue significantly improved motor function and delayed disease onset by protecting motor neurons in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a study shows. The study, “Adipose derived stem cells protect motor neurons and reduce glial activation in both in…
Columns
In Pursuit of the Perfect Omelet
“No one knows what it’s like, “To be the bad man, “To be the sad man, “Behind blue eyes.” – The Who Last week, it was time for the annual agency performance audit of my aides. Actually, owing to COVID-19, the one for 2020 hadn’t taken place. Consequently, the…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has awarded orphan drug designation to Spinogenix’s investigational oral molecule SPG302 for treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Orphan drug status is granted by the FDA to encourage the development of therapies for conditions that affect fewer than 200,000 people in the…
AcuraStem has been awarded a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) to advance AS-202, a potentially disease-modifying therapy for sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a press release. The candidate therapy is designed to increase the number of lysosomes — cell compartments…
Eurordis opened a campaign, called Rare 2030 Action, that is seeking to establish a European action plan for rare diseases to ensure that none of the 30 million people in Europe living with rare diseases are left behind by the start of a new decade. As part of…
PharmaTher has filed an application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requesting that ketamine be designated an orphan drug as a potential treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Orphan drug status is granted by the FDA to encourage the development of therapies for conditions that affect fewer…
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has granted orphan drug designation to Seelos Therapeutics‘ investigational therapy SLS-005 for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the company announced in a press release. Orphan drug status in Europe is given to medicines with the potential to be safe and…
Columns
I’m Wearing a Grief Backpack
On one of my recent daily walks, I listened to an “Office Ladies” podcast in which Jenna Fischer shared her ongoing struggle with anxiety. She used the analogy of a backpack to describe the burden she lives with. Some days it weighs her down, while other days she…
Ahead of this year’s Rare Disease Week on Capitol Hill, held virtually July 14–22, the EveryLife Foundation will award grants to top advocates of rare disease organizations who participate in the week’s pre-events. The top 50 point-earners will be eligible to win $1,000 to $5,000 in grants, totaling…
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