Cancer Therapy Shows Potential for Treating ALS, Frontotemporal Dementia, Study Reports

An exploratory anti-cancer therapy may halt the characteristic toxic accumulation of TDP-43 in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), researchers suggest. The preclinical study, “Poly(ADP-Ribose) Prevents Pathological Phase Separation of TDP-43 by Promoting Liquid Demixing and Stress Granule Localization,” was published in the journal…

The first patient has been dosed in a Phase 3 clinical trial (NCT03491462) evaluating the effectiveness of Orphazyme’s investigational therapy arimoclomol in the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). One of the disease mechanisms known to be involved in the development of ALS is protein misfolding and aggregation…

Physicians who help amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients die should carefully evaluate their motivations, capacity, and care goals, while also discussing alternatives with their patient, according to researchers. An ALS patient case and commentary, “How Should Physicians Care for Dying Patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis?” appeared in the…

MND Scotland has initiated a clinical trial to test the tolerability and effectiveness of interleukin-2 in the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neurone disease (MND). The trial is now recruiting participants. Interleukin-2, which is used for treatment of some rare types of cancer, is…

Researchers developed a computational model able to recognize amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) based on patients’ speech patterns, suggesting it may one day be a non-invasive and low-cost way of evaluating disease severity and likely progression, possibly in a person’s home. The study, by scientists at IBM Thomas…

“Use it, or lose it.” That was the motivational summary statement during my first post-ALS diagnosis physical therapy (PT) session. As my condition’s horrific prognosis continued percolating in my brain, I replied, “Don’t you mean ‘use it, while you watch yourself lose it?’” There is an ongoing debate over whether…

Drinking alcohol seems to have no influence on the risk of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a large population-based European study suggests. The study, “Association between alcohol exposure and the risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in the Euro-MOTOR study,” was…

A new optimized protocol for the use of a noninvasive ventilation technique called bi-level positive airway pressure (Bi-PAP) allows patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to live twice as long as they normally would if they received the standard protocol, according to researchers. Their findings were reported in the…

High-tech communication devices, such as eye-tracking computer systems (ETCS), improve quality of life and enable caregiver-independent interaction of severely disabled patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, technical aspects and patients’ cognitive impairment are among the factors still limiting their use. The review study titled “Communication…

Cells that normally help to repair injured muscle tissue — called fibro-adipogenic progenitors — become key players in the muscle wasting and scarring processes in neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a study has found. Conducted by researchers at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP), in…