Stem Cell Therapy Safe in ALS Patients, Review Finds; Evaluating Effectiveness is Next

Stem cell therapy seems to be safe in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and clinical trials evaluating its effectiveness are on the way, according to a review study. The review, “Stem cell transplantation for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,” was published in the journal Current Opinion in…

Have you heard the news? They’re banning plastic straws. Oh, darn! Just when I thought I had my ALS symptoms all figured out, perfect solutions in place, and solid daily routines to follow, a new curveball comes my way. The fact is I need straws! Not just any…

Integrated care is a definite advantage of multidisciplinary clinics according to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients, but many complain about travel and mobility impediments as major barriers to attend such clinics, a Canadian study reports. Many patients also look at multidisciplinary clinics as potential ALS patient advocates to inform health…

Treatment with a compound called inosine over 12 weeks increased the levels of the antioxidant urate, a neuroprotective agent, in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a pilot trial. The investigational therapy also showed a positive safety and tolerability profile, indicating it might have potential as an…

With the U.S. midterm elections now less than two weeks away, patient advocacy groups are solidly focused on a range of hot-button issues, from the Orphan Drug Tax Credit and affordable health insurance to future funding for rare disease research. Yet “whether Democrats take over the House or Senate,…

Researchers have discovered that C9orf72 — the gene whose mutated version is associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) — works by activating key proteins for the transport and degradation of molecules inside the cell, in normal conditions. This discovery expands knowledge on how C9orf72 may contribute to the…

A research team led by Northwestern University has been granted $12.6 million by the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study the role of protein quality control in aging and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s…

Renowned physicist and author Stephen Hawking, perhaps the most famous ALS sufferer after Lou Gehrig, had his final book posthumously published on Oct. 16. In “Brief Answers to the Big Questions,” one of the answers Hawking offers is that there is…

The University California San Diego (UC San Diego) has licensed the right to develop and commercialize an investigational gene therapy for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Alzheimer’s disease, called SynCav1, to CavoGene LifeSciences. The therapy may also benefit people with traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, and cognitive decline disorders.

ALS life involves a lot of waiting. We wait for people to help us with daily tasks, we wait for medical test results, and we wait for new ALS symptoms. But it’s the constant thoughts of despair and hopelessness that put us in what I call the ALS…