#AAN2018 – Diet Rich in Essential Omega-3 Fatty Acid Linked to Lower ALS Risk in Study

A diet that includes foods rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids like alpha-linolenic acid — an essential plant-derived fatty acid found in flaxseed, canola, and other oils — is linked to a lower risk of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), researchers report. But their work also found that diets rich in arachidonic…

The European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) issued a negative opinion on the conditional marketing authorization of masitinib for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the therapy’s maker, AB Science, recently announced in a press release. Masitinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) being developed by AB Science to treat symptoms of…

H.P. Acthar Gel, an experimental injectable therapy, may help delay progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a new analysis reveals. The data is scheduled to be presented at the 70th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) in Los Angeles, April 21–27, in a presentation titled, “Post…

New antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) molecular therapies targeting the most common gene mutation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia reduced brain disease hallmarks in a mouse study, researchers found. The study, “Stereopure Antisense Oligonucleotides Preferentially Knockdown G4C2 Repeat-Containing C9ORF72 Transcripts: A Potential Therapeutic Approach for the Treatment…

Variations of the TP73 gene could increase a person’s susceptibility to developing the non-inherited version of ALS, a study suggests. University of Utah researchers will present the study at the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting in Los Angeles at 4:30 p.m. Pacific time on April 24. The title is “…

I experienced quite a few emotional dips during my first year of living with ALS. Dips in the way of full-on mental funks, feeling a loss of purpose, being disconnected from others, and worrying about the future. To help me climb out of those dark dips and…

NurOwn, a cell therapy being developed by Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics, is able to maintain its therapeutic effects by significantly regulating the levels of a type of small RNA molecule linked to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a study suggests. According to data from a Phase 2 trial, the investigative therapy can…

Researchers suggest that patients in the early stage of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may benefit from a personalized program of home-based exercises without a physical therapist’s supervision. The small Japanese study, “Effectiveness of home-based exercises without supervision by physical therapists for patients with early-stage amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A…

Genetic mutations in two previously unrecognized genes, the microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) and BNIP1 genes, are associated with elevated risk for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The study with that finding “Selective genetic overlap between amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and diseases of the frontotemporal dementia spectrum,” was published in the…

A little-known government entity within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is helping to lead U.S. efforts to speed up the development of therapies for some 7,000 rare diseases. The Office of Rare Diseases Research (ORDR), headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, was established in 1993 within the NIH Office of the…