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…
ALS Association and Cytokinetics Join to Kick Off ‘ALS Awareness Month’
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).
Dr. Joe Beckman, PhD, at the Oregon State University, has been studying the chemistry of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis for quite a while. Together with other researchers, Dr. Beckman has been able to demonstrate a treatment which can dramatically extend the survival rate of laboratory mice who…
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Neuroscientist Receives $25,000 Grant to Develop Way of Helping Advanced ALS Patients to Speak Again
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation has awarded a $25,000 New Century Scholars Research Grant to neuroscientist Jonathan Brumberg to develop a brain-computer interface (BCI) that directly controls existing augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices. The platform is expected to aid people with profound speech and motor impairments due to neurodegenerative disorders such as…
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a rare, incurable disease which slowly takes control of your body by paralyzing your muscles one by one. In this video from Muna Baradi, find out more about eyeclickdonation.org, an initiative designed to help you gain understanding of how it is to live…
University of Florida Health researchers have developed a mouse model of the most common genetic mutation that causes amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The model, which captures the molecular, behavioral, and neurodegenerative features of the disease, could greatly aid in the development of more effective therapeutic agents. The paper detailing the model,…
The University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) has announced that a new UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences will be established, made possible by $185 million in funding — the largest-ever gift to the university and one of the largest ever made to support the neurosciences in the U.S. —…
Results from the Phase 3 trial of edaravone (MCI-186) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) were presented by Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation at the 68th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology held April 15-21 in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Phase 3 MCI-186-19 clinical study has reportedly met its primary efficacy endpoint of mean change…
Social Clips
ALS Exercises: Move Along
In this video, watch some gentle chair exercises for people living with ALS. Dagmar Munn shared this video in 2015, where she demonstrates some gentle exercises directed at patients with low mobility. They are really simple, slow, easy-to-follow sequences of movement that provide a break from…
In 2015, the Wyss Institute shared this video where they present a soft robotic glove which could lead to a dramatic improvement of day-to-day life for ALS patients. The glove could be an assistive device used for grasping objects, which would be seen as a great…
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