The HEALEY ALS platform trial, which is evaluating the safety and efficacy of several potential treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), has passed the 50% participant enrollment target for its first three regimens. The investigational treatments are UCB’s zilucoplan, Biohaven Pharmaceuticals’ verdiperstat, and Clene Nanomedicine’s CNM-Au8. A fourth candidate…
Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation (MTPC) is opening a new research site in the Boston area dedicated to discovering new therapeutic targets in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other diseases of the central nervous system. Located in the SmartLabs biotechnology hub in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the company’s NeuroDiscovery Lab is scheduled…
“‘Cause I got a peaceful, easy feelin’, And I know you won’t let me down, ‘Cause I’m already standin’ On the ground.” Those lyrics by Jack Tempchin, sung by the Eagles on their…
“Have you ever participated in clinical trials?” That’s a common question among ALS patients. What’s my standard answer? “It’s complicated. I’m participating in several studies, but even though I’d like to, I haven’t been in any clinical trials. I’m excluded because I’ve had ALS for too many years.” ‘What? Tell…
Changes to a critical structure within the cell nucleus of spinal nerve cells — the nucleolus — preceded the appearance of other disease markers in people with either familial or sporadic forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a study has discovered. …
Many diseases have their own awareness color — breast cancer is pink, muscular dystrophy is green, and AIDS is red, for example — but what’s the significance of pink, green, blue, and purple lights side-by-side? These are the colors most often used to represent Rare Disease Day. This…
“I’m glad I got the chance to miss you,” I told my husband, Todd, when I got home after a day trip skiing with our children last week. Since Todd has ALS and I am his caregiver, we rarely spend time apart. Now that he is paralyzed, we don’t…
The small difference in treatment responses among amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients receiving NurOwn versus a placebo in a recent clinical trial likely was due to chance, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced in a press release. Along with slightly more deaths in the NurOwn…
PrimeC is safe and well-tolerated for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and showed signs of slowing disease progression in patients, findings from a recently-completed Phase 2a study show. All 15 participants in the NST002 clinical trial (NCT04165850) have chosen to…
Last week, I stepped onto my soapbox (mine has special safety handrails) and voiced my opinion about an issue that’s been bugging me for several years. It’s a problem I share with about 7.5 million other people who have trouble using their voices and cannot get voice-activated devices to…
