In Mark Twain’s book, “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court,” the protagonist, Hank Morgan, is ridiculed during a roundtable assemblage for his strange appearance and dress. He is subsequently sentenced to burn at the stake.  Except for…

The non-invasive delivery of ultrasound waves in a controlled, targeted manner can be safely used to open the blood-brain barrier in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), giving temporary access to their motor cortex, results from a first-in-human trial show. The approach — called magnetic resonance guided…

Aural Analytics and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) will collaborate on a new acupuncture clinical trial to assess how the treatment affects speech in people recently diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). TGen, a nonprofit medical research institute, will sponsor…

The ALS Association has awarded the nonprofit ALS Never Surrender Foundation a $300,000 grant to bring its precision point mobile technology app to patient progression research trials nationwide. Called ALS iNVOLVE/eNGAGE, the application enables the remote tracking of vitals including muscle control, dexterity, speech, breathing and…

Exercise appears to benefit people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) by normalizing molecular changes that occur at the junction of nerves and muscles, but by degrees that depend on the type of exercise, a study in a mouse model of ALS suggests. While running and swimming both lessened the profound molecular…

Do you have an ALS role model? I do. I have a whole collection of ALS role models, and each one helps me power through my day. I’ve always believed in the importance of a role model; someone whose success or behavior sets an example for me to follow. Someone…

The Canadian Intellectual Property Office has approved a new patent application that will allow MediciNova to use its investigational therapy ibudilast (MN-166) for the treatment of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in Canada. The patent covers a wide range of oral ibudilast doses in people…

AcuraStem has triggered $3 million in Phase 2 funding from its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant, which the biotechnology company will use to start the second stage of its AS-1 program. That patient-derived stem cell therapy program is aimed at…

The Phase 3 clinical trial testing BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics‘ cell therapy candidate NurOwn in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients is continuing as planned after a second safety assessment by the trial’s independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) found no reasons to stop, the company announced. The…

My husband, Todd, recently asked me, “What do you think our life would be like if I hadn’t gotten ALS?” I’ve done this mental exercise before, but never with him. He’d be working and trying to advance his career. Our two kids would be in school. I might be working…