Note: This story was updated Sept. 21, 2021, to note that 18% of patients, not 80%, experienced increases in the MUNIX(4) sum score at some point during the study. The last patient visit has been completed in Clene’s Phase 2 trial investigating the potential of CNM-Au8 — which…
Participation in clinical trials exposes rare disease patients to financial, physical, and emotional pressures, according to the results of a patient focus group series. “Rare disease trial participants are running an endurance race they are highly motivated to complete, but these incremental burdens negatively impact their ability or willingness to…
I watched a tribute video to a husband and father who recently died from ALS. Tears filled my eyes over tender moments of a toddler kissing and hugging his dad, jumping on his lap, and driving matchbox cars on his head while the dad smiled. The man radiated love for…
A $10-million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will help fund the first U.S.-based clinical trial of Synchron’s Stentrode, a wireless brain device, implanted without open brain surgery, that transmits signals from the brain directly to a computer. The COMMAND trial will evaluate whether the device…
The Adira Foundation is inviting people with neurodegenerative diseases and their caregivers to join a grant proposal review committee. A nonprofit foundation, its mission is to unite people affected by some of most common neurodegenerative diseases — namely, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and…
“We were ill-prepared and unequipped for the hike,” I told my husband, Todd, after returning home. The kids and I went to see Douglass Houghton Falls in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula with my friend, who was visiting from out of town. Todd stayed home because he has ALS and is…
“Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes (turn and face the strange), Ch-ch-changes, just gonna have to be a different man.” — David Bowie Many people dislike change, some to the point of fearing it. According to author and motivational speaker Scott Mautz, writing for Inc.com, “Overcoming a fear of change can be as…
Mast cells, a type of immune cell, infiltrate the spinal cord of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients and rodent models of the disease, exhibiting pro-inflammatory features that are likely involved in motor neuron and microvasculature damage, a study suggests. Notably, treating these mice models with masitinib — an experimental oral…
Eledon Pharmaceuticals announced that its Phase 2 study of AT-1501 in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) should be fully enrolled by year’s end. Top-line trial results are expected between April and September 2022. “Enrollment in our ALS study is progressing well and we anticipate completing enrollment in…
The National Alliance for Caregiving, in partnership with Global Genes, has issued a free guidebook, available online, that offers resources and support for caregivers of children with rare diseases. “The Circle of Care Guidebook for Caregivers of Children With Rare and/or Serious Illnesses” was designed…
