Device That Aids Breathing in ALS Patients May Decrease Survival

A recent study indicates that a respiratory pacemaker intended to assist breathing in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may actually reduce survival in those with the neurodegenerative disorder. The study, titled “Safety and efficacy of diaphragm pacing in patients with respiratory insufficiency due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis…

In a recent study entitled “Complex Inflammation mRNA-Related Response in ALS is Region Dependent” characterizes the inflammatory response in patients with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)” published in the journal Neural Plasticity, a research team led by Isidre Ferrer from the L’Hospitalet de Llobregat in Spain detected…

Synapse Biomedical Inc., a company that commercializes the NeuRx Diaphragm Pacing System (DPS), has recently announced it will be presenting data on the company’s Post Approval Study (PAS), a multi-center trial that demonstrated DPS’s safety and survival benefit, during the 26th International Symposium on ALS/MND. Data will be presented by Dr. Robert Miller, Principal Investigator of the…

Last year the Ice Bucket Challenge made headlines across America when the Barrow Neurological Institute raised more than $500,000 through the international fundraising and advocacy initiative. Now, the organization is reporting that the funds accumulated will be used to support a new and potentially groundbreaking amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) study to determine why…

Diet has a significant influence on a person’s health status because it determines which nutrients are available for the body to function properly. Depending on the balance between diet and energy, body mass index (BMI) is also significantly influential to an individual’s health. Since the effects of diet on developing…

Portage Biotech, Inc. together with privately-held Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd. has just acquired global intellectual property rights to an extensive 300-product portfolio by ALS Biopharma, LLC. These prodrugs included in the line up, most of which are classified as New Molecular Entities (NMEs), were originally designed and prepared by…

Researchers at Università degli Studi di Milano in Italy recently published in the journal Cells a review regarding the link between autophagy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The study is entitled “Autophagy and Neurodegeneration: Insights from a Cultured Cell Model of ALS”. Autophagy…

Researchers at the University of Toronto and the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Canada recently reported the development of two new antibodies against a protein that plays a key role in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) – C9ORF72. The study was published in the journal Annals…