Researchers have created an atlas that links a set of genes in the DNA to a particular trait or disease, a tool that may advance understanding of certain cell characteristics in neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This atlas can be further developed and updated by…
Everyone suffers from stress from time to time but when you have a chronic disease, stress not only adds to your everyday burden but can often exacerbate the symptoms of your condition. While we can’t avoid stress altogether, there are ways that we help ourselves relax more and not let things…
Columbia University medical researchers have received a grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, named after Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, to construct an atlas of gene activity in all cells in the spinal cord. The atlas has the potential to become a reference for investigators researching injuries…
As Congress begins debate this week to overhaul the U.S. tax code, lawmakers should leave the Orphan Drug Act (ODA) — and the tax incentives it offers pharmaceutical companies to develop therapies for rare diseases — off the table. That’s the message being pushed by the National Organization for…
Quick! Guess where I was the other day? Hint: I spent quality time with a few ghosts, goblins and vampires. Nope, I didn’t visit a haunted house – I went for a haircut! You sure can’t tell from the outside, but where I go has an explosion…
Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals, an affiliate of Ipsen, announced that five abstracts discussing Dysport (abobotulinumtoxinA) were presented at the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R) Annual Assembly, held Oct. 12-15 in Denver, Colorado. Dysport, a botulinum toxin product, is approved for treatment of spasticity, or shaking, in adult patients, which…
In this video from ITV’s This Morning, television presenter Charlotte Hawkins talks about her father’s journey with motor neuron disease (MND), which is also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). She highlights how lonely people can feel living with the disease, particularly when they lose the…
During my last visit to the ALS clinic, my neurologist surprised me with an invitation to be a participant in a clinical trial that she was conducting. It was open to 50 of her patients, it could be completed in our own homes, and only it required…
While a link between neurodegenerative diseases and cancer seems unlikely, a recent study suggests that such connections might exist. Genetic analysis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients, conducted by Japanese and Taiwanese researchers, revealed that many genes linked to ALS are also related to certain cancers. The research suggests that…
I began to notice something new during my first year of living with ALS. Every day around mid-afternoon, my energy would drop. Sleepiness, lack of concentration and a case of the blahs would creep in. Was this a brand new symptom of ALS? No, luckily not. But the…
