ProMIS Neurosciences is advancing its program for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) by generating antibodies that specifically target the toxic TDP-43 clumps — a hallmark of the condition. The antibody candidates may work as therapies for both ALS and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), the company says. As a result…
Drake University’s Occupational Therapy Doctorate program is adding a new educational resource that will bring available assistive technology used in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis(ALS) to its Caregiver Learning Labs for patients and their families. The new Assistive Technology Kit, which will be used in the labs to improve…
FUS protein plays a role in the proper functioning and stability of the neuromuscular junction — the site of communication between motor nerves and muscle fibers — and mutations in this protein appear to be toxic to both motor neurons and muscle cells, causing features of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis…
A few months after Todd’s diagnosis, our ALS clinic put me in touch with a woman who was further down the road that I had just begun. Similar to our situation, her husband was diagnosed in his late 30s when they had a newborn son. I spoke with her on…
The Phase 2 CENTAUR trial testing AMX0035 for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) was designed to include patients with the most severe disease to yield the most powerful results possible, a researcher explained in a recent webinar hosted by Amylyx Pharmaceuticals, which is developing the therapy. The trial…
Scientists have developed a new method to validate antibodies for research, demonstrating its effectiveness by using the protein encoded by the C9ORF72 gene, which, when mutated, may cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a study reports. They also urged its implementation in labs around…
People with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with a common mutation in the interleukin 6 receptor (IL6R) gene appear likely to have more severe disease symptoms and faster progression than ALS patients without this inherited gene variant, a study reports. This mutation, its researchers reported, is found with a frequency of…
A new muscle science and disease research center has opened at the University of Washington (UW) to investigate better treatment options for disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The Center for Translational Muscle Research will work in collaboration with the university’s labs and other Seattle-area institutions…
Target ALS joined with the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (AFTD) to announce a $5 million grant initiative to spur the development of new therapies and identify biomarkers for both amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal degeneration (FTD). Project proposals are welcomed from “Industry-Led Consortia (ILCs)” that bring together…
ALS is now affecting my husband’s breathing. On occasion, Todd’s lungs fill with fluid and he needs me to give him an assisted cough, just as his physical therapist taught me to do. He stacks his breath as I count to four, and I push on his abdomen below…
