ALS therapy target: Integrin that spurs immune cells to ‘eat’ neurons

Can automated technology — including AI — help with ALS?

For a while now, I’ve been keeping tabs on the new technologies of virtual assistants, voice activation, and artificial intelligence (AI), especially its potential benefits for the ALS community. Some of it I’ve tried, with iffy results. Others, like AI, are on my wish list to help erase ALS…

Intranasal formulation helps edaravone reach brain: Early study

An into-the-nose (intranasal) formulation of edaravone — the active ingredient in the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) medication Radicava — may enhance the medication’s ability to reach brain tissue, according to a recent study. The formulation, which was made by packaging edaravone into tiny carriers called nanoparticles, was found…

Researcher awarded $10K to advance work on ALS therapy

A professor at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School was awarded $10,000 by Mass General Brigham (MGB) for her work to restore the levels of stathmin-2, a protein that is disrupted in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a related neurodegenerative condition, as a possible…

Reminiscing about our pre-ALS days brings joy

A family friend visited last week, prompting a trip down memory lane to the days long before my husband, Todd, had ALS. My teenage daughter and her boyfriend sat on the couch behind us, while Todd, our friend Abby, and I sat around the kitchen table sharing memories…

New Brunswick adds Albrioza for ALS to its public health plan

New Brunswick is reimbursing, through its public health insurance program, the cost of Albrioza (sodium phenylbutyrate and ursodoxicoltaurine) for eligible residents living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The Canadian province is the country’s fourth to provide public coverage for the oral therapy — marketed in the U.S.

Asthma medicine slows ALS disease progression in small trial

Six months of treatment with clenbuterol, an asthma medication, slowed disease progression in adults with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to data from a small U.S.-based Phase 2 clinical trial. Despite these promising preliminary findings, more than half the participants withdrew from the study due to side effects. “Nonetheless,…