One of our greatest sources of joy and normalcy when my late husband, Jeff, was living with ALS was getting out and about in the community. The more ALS seemed intent on changing our life, the more determined Jeff became to find ways around it. I was his…
Why I’ll never use handicapped parking until I need it
People with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) due to mutations in the FUS gene may benefit from interferon-gamma treatment to delay disease onset and/or progression, an early preclinical study suggests. Researchers found that an immune signaling protein called interferon (INF)-gamma protected patient-derived motor neurons from oxidative stress. INF-gamma also restored…
When ALS first caused my husband, Todd, to need a wheelchair, he realized he couldn’t recline too far in it or he’d get stuck there; his arms were too weak to reach the joystick or seat-control buttons. To compensate, his durable medical equipment technician added an egg switch to…
The Barrow Neurological Institute has received $16.7 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to help coordinate a nationwide repository of clinical data of people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The Access for All in ALS (ALL ALS) Consortium will serve as a repository of biological samples and clinical…
PrimeC, NeuroSense Therapeutics‘ investigational, fixed-dose combination therapy for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), significantly boosted the survival of patient-derived motor neurons to levels similar to healthy controls in a lab study. The independent study was led by Justin Ichida, PhD, a professor of stem cell biology and regenerative…
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients not eligible to participate in clinical trials of pridopidine — a small molecule developed by Prilenia Therapeutics to slow disease progression in ALS — will soon be able to receive the experimental therapy via an expanded access program (EAP). EAPs, also known…
Cytokinetics is calling for proposals from patient advocacy organizations focused on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and cardiovascular conditions for its 6th annual Communications Grant Program. The 2024 program will award five grants totaling $20,000 each to groups serving the ALS, heart failure, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy communities. These…
I have a vivid and beautiful memory from a few summers ago, as my late husband, Jeff, and I lived with his ALS. We were spending a day on the water, as we often did. Jeff had lost his voice and most of his ability to walk,…
Remember “MacGyver“? In this TV series from the 1980s and early ’90s, the titular secret agent always found himself in an untenable predicament and used whatever was around him to devise a solution. Whether it was a paper clip, a thumbtack, or a toothpick, MacGyver was able to…
Spinogenix has won a nearly $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to move ahead with clinical testing of SPG302, a small molecule candidate for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This is DoD’s Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs’ second grant to the company, following a…
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