AcuraStem Advancing Second Stage of Small Molecule Development for ALS Treatment

AcuraStem has triggered $3 million in Phase 2 funding from its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant, which the biotechnology company will use to start the second stage of its AS-1 program. That patient-derived stem cell therapy program is aimed at…

The Phase 3 clinical trial testing BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics‘ cell therapy candidate NurOwn in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients is continuing as planned after a second safety assessment by the trial’s independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) found no reasons to stop, the company announced. The…

My husband, Todd, recently asked me, “What do you think our life would be like if I hadn’t gotten ALS?” I’ve done this mental exercise before, but never with him. He’d be working and trying to advance his career. Our two kids would be in school. I might be working…

Health professionals in Canada are more likely to recommend stretching than strength or aerobic exercises to people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a recent survey found. However, this approach isn’t supported by currently available data. The survey results were published in the journal BMC Neurology in a study titled,…

The REFINE-ALS study, an effort to identify and measure the levels of specific biomarkers in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients being treated for a first time with Radicava (edaravone), has enrolled its first participant, Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America (MTPA) announced. This observational trial, sponsored by MTPA — which developed…

We all know there’s no cure for the common cold. But let it be known that you have a cold, and suddenly everyone’s an expert. They’ll share advice, home remedies, and their own versions of a cure. It’s the same in the ALS community, where our holy grail is also…

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…