Israel’s BrainStorm Offers Encouraging Phase 2 Data on Stem-Cell Therapy NurOwn to Treat ALS

Israel’s BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics has announced positive top-line Phase 2 data on NurOwn, a customized stem-cell therapy technology to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). BrainStorm has been developing and commercializing NurOwn in partnership with Ramot, the business engagement unit of Tel Aviv University. NurOwn enables the production of growth factors that…

A novel gene-silencing therapy intended for patients with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) is being tested as a treatment for dogs with degenerative myelopathy, a paralytic disease similar to ALS. The study is currently underway at Tufts University. “Giving these pets another one-and-a-half to two years of life would be a major…

This video series by the Brattleboro Reformer follows Andy Leclaire’s journey with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In this particular episode, friends and family reflect on Andy’s life and his struggle with the disease. It focuses on how Andy’s loved ones are doing since he passed and the effect his death has had…

Preclinical testing will soon begin in VY-SOD101, a compound seen as a potential treatment for a certain gene mutation found in people with familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).  Its developer,  Voyager Therapeutics, hopes to follow this work, if successful, with clinical trials in patients  in about two years. Patients with ALS typically develop weakness…

Following her husband’s frustration at not being able to do up the buttons on his formal work shirts, Maura Horton came up with a simple and practical solution: magnetic buttons. MORE: Discover seven facts about amyotrophic lateral sclerosis you might find interesting.  According to a report on Fox News, Horton’s husband…

Many people who suffer from chronic illnesses also suffer from depression. Depression isn’t something that should be overlooked; it should be brought to your doctor’s attention so that it can be treated. But how do you spot depression?  With help from prevention.com, we’ve put together a list of some of the most common physical signs that someone is…

Measuring blood levels of the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (CRP) in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) can help physicians track the disease, according to an Italian study of 394 people with ALS. Neuraltus Pharmaceuticals of San Bruno, Calif., believes this study further supports the idea that ALS may respond to inflammation-modulating…

Genervon Biopharmaceuticals has published the results of a somewhat promising Phase 2a clinical trial investigating the effects of GM604 (or GM6) in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The study, “A Phase 2A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial of GM604 in patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS Protocol GALS-001)…

Scientists have found a potential protein biomarker in the cerebrospinal fluid of people carrying the most common mutation linked to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) — suggesting that this protein may be useful to test the effects of drugs to treat this form of ALS in future clinical trials. The study, “Poly(GP) proteins are…

Occupational exposure to extremely low-frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MFs) could trigger amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a Dutch study shows. The study, “Occupational exposure and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in a prospective cohort,” appeared in the journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine. Given that only 5 to 10 percent of ALS cases are hereditary, scientists…