Across the U.S. and around the world, the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) community is aiming to raise its voice in powerful ways this May during awareness month  — with advocacy campaigns, flag displays, the sharing of personal stories, and community-led events. ALS Awareness Month, according to supporters of those…

Lately I’ve seen people on my social media feed dumping ice water over their heads to promote awareness of mental health, which took me back in time to the ALS ice bucket challenge in 2014. That viral sensation may have been the most effective tool for raising awareness…

Arizona-based Brad Smith has become the first person with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to receive a brain implant from Neuralink as part of an ongoing clinical trial. The implant, which is designed to allow users to control a computer using only their thoughts, has granted Smith newfound independence…

The Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) will celebrate the 25th anniversary on June 25 of its Wings Over Wall Street Gala, an annual fundraiser to support research for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The event will take place at the Edison Ballroom in New York City, starting at 6…

Sometime in my mid-40s, I wrote a list of goals I wanted to achieve before turning 50. I no longer have the list, but I remember a few things on it: Learn a second language. Complete one half-marathon each year. And my then-favorite, visit 50 countries by the time I…

Treatment with regulatory T-cells, or Tregs — a type of anti-inflammatory immune cell — was well tolerated and seemed to slow disease progression in a small clinical trial that enrolled six people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The work was conducted by scientists at Columbia University in New…

Signs of spring appear every day outside my kitchen window here in northern Michigan, even as my own life feels heavy with my care for my husband, Todd, who has ALS. After a long winter, our 2 feet of snow, which was in the field behind our house a…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given Xellsmart Biopharmaceutical the go-ahead to start a Phase 1 clinical trial testing its stem cell-based therapy XS-228 in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This milestone, reflecting the approval of Xellsmart’s investigational new drug (IND) application, follows promising results…

Some days, my motivation just gets stuck. Even though I’ve got interesting plans and projects to do, I can’t get started on any of them. The reasons why can include not getting enough hours of sleep the night before, being caught up in the latest news cycle, or simply reflecting…

A combination of three drugs — one of them the experimental therapy CuATSM — may be effective for treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) caused by mutations in the SOD1 gene, according to a new preclinical study. In mice carrying SOD1 mutations, the combination of these three drugs — CuATSM,…