I’m writing this column while gazing out over a foggy Pacific Ocean, aboard a ship that’s taking a group of us from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, to the icy waters of Glacier Bay, Alaska, and back. Intermittently on this voyage, pods of porpoises come racing close by the ship, and…

A researcher at Penn State University has received a $250,000 grant for an innovative project that seeks to identify and develop small molecules with the potential to protect nerve cells in neurodegenerative conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The grant was awarded by the nonprofit Critical Path Institute…

Both beneficial and neurotoxic forms of the mineral selenium were increased in people with SOD1-associated amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) after six months of treatment with Qalsody (tofersen), a report shows. The elevations, which have been linked to ALS previously, could reflect a change in the antioxidant status of…

Changes in how the SOD1 protein associates with metal molecules seem to be key for how mutations affecting this protein drive amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a study using a novel imaging technique. Findings represent “a very early step towards” new ALS treatments, while also showing “an exciting…

Those crazy, runaway thoughts. When I was young, I used to have them all the time. That’s because I didn’t know the whole story about certain things, so my mind would invent the answers. While growing up, I learned the value of having all the facts, and my crazy…

Estimates from the World Health Organization suggest 1 in 4 people are likely to be diagnosed with a neurodegenerative condition. By 2040, these diseases may become the second leading cause of death in developed countries. The nonprofit group I AM ALS has launched the Cures…

One year of treatment with the experimental oral therapy PrimeC led to improved iron accumulation in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to new clinical trial data announced by PrimeC’s developer, Neurosense Therapeutics. Previous results showed that people who received PrimeC for one year experienced significantly slower…

Diamir Biosciences has received a patent in the European Union that covers the use of microRNAs (miRNAs), that is, small noncoding RNA molecules that modulate gene activity, as biomarkers for diagnosing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The patent, “Methods of using miRNAs from bodily fluids for detection and…

Black people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) tend to have a different disease course than white patients; they are diagnosed at a younger age, more commonly have muscle weakness that starts in the hands, and have pneumonia more frequently, a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention…