ALS Researcher at Kings College London Chosen to Receive $50,000 Sheila Essey Award

ALS Researcher at Kings College London Chosen to Receive $50,000 Sheila Essey Award

Ammar Al-Chalabi, a professor of Neurology and Complex Disease Genetics at King’s College London, was presented with the  Sheila Essey Award at a special session of the recent American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting dedicated to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research. He was selected to receive the $50,000 award by both the ALS Association…

Biogen and Cytokinetics Present Updates on 2 New Clinical Trials into ALS

During the Drug Company Working Group session at the recent American Academy of Neurology annual meeting in Vancouver, Canada, a top researcher from Cytokinetics gave an update on a new Phase 3 study of  tirasemtiv as a potential treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and another from Biogen talked about a new trial to assess outcome measures in ALS…

ALS Technology: Organizations Launch Challenge

The ALS Association and Prize4Life have launched a joint initiative worth $400,000, to award innovation in helping improve the lives of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The ALS Assistive Technology Challenge will award the development of flexible, accessible technology for ALS patients to communicate. The importance of the challenge is explained…

ALS May be Caused by Spreading Protein According to New Study

Scientists at UmeÃ¥ University have found that  superoxide dysmutase (SOD1), a protein that may cause amylotophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) spreads and clumps when injected into mice. The protein deposits also cause ALS-like symptoms. The report, titled “Two superoxide dismutase prion strains transmit amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-like disease” appeared May 3, 2016…

ALS Association and Cytokinetics Join to Kick Off ‘ALS Awareness Month’

May marks ALS Awareness Month, a grassroots campaign led by the ALS Association to improve understanding of, and raise research money for, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Each May the ALS Association sponsors activities that include National ALS Advocacy Day, leading a delegation of ALS patients, their caregivers, and other advocates to Capitol Hill to urge…

Tiny Microscope Lets Scientists Peer into Spinal Cords of Mice and See Astrocytes in Action

Researchers using a miniature microscope saw that glial cells, called astrocytes, contribute to sensory nerve transmission in the spinal cord of awake and moving animals. Offering unparalleled insights into the workings of the spinal cord, the tool may lead to new treatments for a range of neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).