Understanding the Neurons Behind ALS

This video from Nature Video discusses the neurons behind amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).  The narrator explains that ALS is a neurodegenerative disease that usually begins in adulthood and progresses rapidly. MORE: Sixteen fast facts about ALS. The disease is characterized by the loss of both upper and lower motor neurons,…

The 6th annual Roll on Capitol Hill, organized by the United Spinal Association, will advocate for greater access to properly configured and medically-necessary wheelchairs for people with spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI/D). The event will take place from June 11-14 in Washington, D.C. Andrea Dalzell, Ms. Wheelchair New…

Researchers have developed an antibody, called armanezumab, which specifically targets defective tau protein. The molecule has potential for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), among other diseases. According to results of the study “Humanized monoclonal antibody armanezumab specific to N-terminus of pathological tau: characterization and therapeutic potency,”…

The first treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in more than two decades, Radicava (edaravone), has been approved by the  U.S. Food and Drug Administration and will soon be available to patients. The May 5 FDA decision, hailed by physicians and ALS advocates, brings hope to the ALS community that treatment development, after a…

Motor neuron disease (MND) is a condition where nerve cells (motor neurons) in the brain and spinal cord stop working, damaging the nervous system and leading to muscle wastage. It’s also referred to as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). MORE: 16 fast facts about amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. According to the…

ALS Ride for Life is launching its 20th annual ride and celebrating the anniversary with another event to raise awareness and funds to accelerate the discovery of a cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Chris Pendergast founded Ride for Life in 1997 after being diagnosed with ALS in…

Defects in RNA processing and transport, as well as protein folding, may contribute to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) pathology, according to the results of recent research. The study, “Altered nucleocytoplasmic proteome and transcriptome distributions in an in vitro model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,” was published in the journal PLOS…

College students from the Oklahoma Christian University are helping an ALS sufferer communicate with his wife again. Sixty-four-year-old Carl Phelps from Oklahoma was diagnosed with bulbar onset amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in April 2015. The disease’s first symptoms appear in the mouth and many patients experience problems talking, eating and…

Between 1943 and 1979, miners around the world were encouraged (and in some cases forced) to inhale aluminum dust called McIntyre Powder, believing that the substance would help protect their lungs. However, a health agency in Ontario has found an alarming link between McIntyre Powder and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Pfizer and AbbVie are pumping $10 million into Aquinnah Pharmaceuticals‘ effort to develop a revolutionary approach to treating neurodegenerative diseases — one that could arrest, or even reverse, the progression of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer’s and other conditions. Takeda Pharmaceuticals invested $5 million in Aquinnah’s program in December 2015.