An impairment in the activity of the RNA exosome complex, which cells use to degrade defective RNA molecules, could contribute to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) caused by mutations in the C9orf72 gene, a new study indicates. The study, “The RNA exosome complex degrades expanded hexanucleotide…
Impaired RNA Quality Control May Underlie Neurodegeneration in People with C9orf72 Mutations
The Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA) has begun a campaign in the U.K. calling for more accessible homes for people with motor neuron diseases, which includes amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and a better system for delivering housing adaptations. Called Act to Adapt, the initiative follows the…
M102, a potential treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), is advancing into its first clinical study in patients through a partnership between researchers at England’s University of Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN) and Aclipse Therapeutics. This project is being supported in part by a $700,000 grant…
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Finding My People
I cried again as I read yet another social media post by a caregiving spouse whose husband just died from ALS. ALS kills someone every 90 minutes, and I’ve made online connections with many caregivers, which means I frequently read of somebody’s loss. I cry hardest when another mom…
The Japan Patent Office has granted a patent to Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics covering the proprietary technique that generates the company’s cell-based therapy NurOwn from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Through this technique, researchers can harness MSCs directly from a patient and mature them into cells that produce…
Three grants given researchers at two centers in Australia will advance work into ways of preserving nerve cells in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and other motor neuron diseases. The grants, totaling AU$1.5 million (about $1.1 million), came from FightMND, an Australian nonprofit patient advocacy group. Lezanne…
Hang on tightly, it’s another week of weather events, news alerts, and a continuing health crisis. I feel like I’m riding on a big airplane flying through rough turbulence. Certainly, living with ALS has taught me I can’t control the jiggles and the bumps, but I can control how I…
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a $1.9 million grant to University of Missouri (MU) researchers to study ways of preserving essential functions like swallowing and breathing in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other motor neuron diseases. This four-year grant was awarded to…
Novus Therapeutics has acquired Anelixis Therapeutics and its portfolio, including the antibody AT-1501, a potential treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) that the company is planning to move into a Phase 2 clinical trial for ALS and other diseases. AT-1501 is an antibody against a…
Microsoft opened its 2014 Super Bowl ad with the question: “What is technology?” As Steve Gleason, an ex-New Orleans Saints safety later diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), spoke about the power of technology, videos rolled of doctors manipulating 3D X-rays, a blind man painting,…
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