It was six years ago last week that my late husband, Jeff, and I sat in a neurologist’s office in Maryland as the doctor said, “I believe that this is ALS.” Moments before, I’d been watching the doctor administer a second electromyography (EMG) on Jeff, who found the procedure…
An ultra-high dose of mecobalamin, a naturally occurring form of vitamin B12, has been approved in Japan under the brand name Rozebalamin to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The therapy, which will be manufactured and marketed by Eisai, is intended to slow functional decline in people with the…
The Scott-Morgan Foundation (SMF), a nonprofit that’s pioneering assistive technology innovation, will lead a new initiative using artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to help people with diseases like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to better communicate and maintain their sense of identity. “We live in a world where millions are…
I’m thankful for the way technology is developing to improve the quality of life for people with ALS, including my husband, Todd. Six years ago, I encouraged Todd to bank his voice while it was still strong. He signed up with one service and went to work recording various…
A Texas Children’s Hospital investigator has received a $2.4 million grant for a study that seeks to understand whether mechanisms used by bacteria to hide from the immune system can be explored to ease inflammation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurodegenerative diseases. Steven Boeynaems, PhD, an investigator…
A treatment candidate from Revalesio named RNS60 protected motor neurons from damage in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) linked with accumulating toxic TDP-43 protein clumps. It also showed it could improve the health of mitochondria, the cells’ powerhouses that are abnormal in ALS, and reduce…
I like the Maroon 5 song “Memories” because I’m soothed by the melody, borrowed from Johann Pachelbel’s Canon in D, and I’m moved by the lyrics. One line in particular resonates with me: “The memories bring back you.” Though my husband, Todd, is still with me,…
Researchers have developed a type of gene therapy that can rescue the function of the TDP-43 protein in diseased nerve cells in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurodegenerative diseases while leaving healthy cells untouched. The approach uses problematic sequences called cryptic exons that are only present in cells…
Neuvivo has filed an application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requesting the approval of its investigational therapy NP001 (sodium chlorite) to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The new drug application comes on the heels of combined data from Phase 2a (NCT01281631) and Phase…
A growth factor called FGF4 can reduce the activity of astrocytes — star-shaped cells in the brain and spinal cord that become overly reactive in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) — but it doesn’t stop motor neurons from dying, a study in cells and mice found. The researchers also observed…
