Changes in Aggregation of ALS-related Protein Revealed in Study

Researchers have detailed the structural changes that occur in the protein hnRNPA2 when it is mutated in diseases related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The study, “Mechanistic View of hnRNPA2 Low-Complexity Domain Structure, Interactions, and Phase Separation Altered by Mutation and…

The active molecule of Petinutin (methsuximide), an anti-epileptic medication, eased motor deficits, extended the lifespan, and showed potent neuroprotective effects in a worm model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), suggesting a potential new treatment strategy for multiple neurodegenerative diseases, a study reports. The study, “α-Methyl-α-phenylsuccinimide ameliorates neurodegeneration…

“Hope is the thing with feathers” –Emily Dickinson Recently, my wife and I went to see a stand-up comedian at our local indoor stadium. My fervent hope was that our evening together would be a unifying, restorative one. It was in that spirit that we performed all of the mental and…

Swallowing. It’s such a simple thing to do! We’re born with the ability to swallow; it happens automatically, and the average person does it approximately 600 times a day. I mean, who actually thinks about swallowing? Well, I do, now that I’ve joined the nearly 80…

Dear Congress, The recently enacted federal Right to Try Law (RTT) is really a “Right to Ask” law. And, for the pharmaceutical companies, it’s a “Right to Say No.” Which they certainly almost always will. Case in point: BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics pre-emptively announced that NurOwn, its ALS stem cell treatment candidate,…

Treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) with investigational compound ibudilast (MN-166) as an add-on to Rilutek (riluzole) improves patients’ functional activity, quality of life, and muscle strength, data from MediciNova’s Phase 2 trial show. MediciNova is now recruiting participants for a Phase 1/2 biomarker trial (…