1st ALS patient to get Neuralink brain implant finds new voice

Arizona-based Brad Smith has become the first person with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to receive a brain implant from Neuralink as part of an ongoing clinical trial. The implant, which is designed to allow users to control a computer using only their thoughts, has granted Smith newfound independence…

The other day when I sat down at my computer, I discovered a small, beige envelope that had been left near my workspace. To my surprise, inside was a letter addressed to me from the rollator that helps me live with ALS. After a quick read of the note,…

The Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) will celebrate the 25th anniversary on June 25 of its Wings Over Wall Street Gala, an annual fundraiser to support research for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The event will take place at the Edison Ballroom in New York City, starting at 6…

Researchers have discovered a pathway in cells that prevents the formation of TDP-43 protein clumps, which contribute to nerve cell damage in nearly all people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The findings may aid ALS therapies that can activate the pathway and potentially limit TDP-43 clumping and prevent nerve…

A neurosurgeon and his team from the University of California (UC) Davis Health have won The Herbert Pardes Clinical Research Excellence Award — given by the nonprofit Clinical Research Forum — for their work on a brain-computer interface that translates brain signals into speech with greater than 95% accuracy.

Sometime in my mid-40s, I wrote a list of goals I wanted to achieve before turning 50. I no longer have the list, but I remember a few things on it: Learn a second language. Complete one half-marathon each year. And my then-favorite, visit 50 countries by the time I…

Treatment with regulatory T-cells, or Tregs — a type of anti-inflammatory immune cell — was well tolerated and seemed to slow disease progression in a small clinical trial that enrolled six people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The work was conducted by scientists at Columbia University in New…

Signs of spring appear every day outside my kitchen window here in northern Michigan, even as my own life feels heavy with my care for my husband, Todd, who has ALS. After a long winter, our 2 feet of snow, which was in the field behind our house a…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given Xellsmart Biopharmaceutical the go-ahead to start a Phase 1 clinical trial testing its stem cell-based therapy XS-228 in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This milestone, reflecting the approval of Xellsmart’s investigational new drug (IND) application, follows promising results…

Some days, my motivation just gets stuck. Even though I’ve got interesting plans and projects to do, I can’t get started on any of them. The reasons why can include not getting enough hours of sleep the night before, being caught up in the latest news cycle, or simply reflecting…