Karyopharm Therapeutics Inc., a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of novel first-in-class drugs for the treatment of cancer and other major diseases, recently announced the evaluation of its SINE nuclear transport compound KPT-350 as a treatment for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Results from preclinical studies will…

Almost 6 million Americans are living with some form of paralysis, including nearly 1.3 million who have suffered spinal cord injuries. However, a team of University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) scientists reports this week that a 39-year-old man who has been completely paralyzed for four years was…

Presymptomatic patients suffering with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) ingest more calories per day but have lower body-mass index (BMI) in comparison to those without ALS. These are the results of a study from researchers in the Netherlands, published by the JAMA Neurology journal, which also assessed ALS disease risk and its connections…

A research team at Colombia University led by Lars Brichta and Paul Greengard identified two proteins responsible for neuronal cell loss in Parkinson’s disease (PD). The study entitled “Identification of neurodegenerative factors using translatome–regulatory network analysis” appeared on 27 July, 2015 in the journal…

In a recent study published in Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, a team of researchers found that men working as funeral directors may be at an increased risk for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. According to the authors this might be related to the high probability of exposure to…

Years of work by a team of researchers at Stanford University’s Engineering Department have finally succeeded in yielding a technique that continuously corrects brain readings in order to provide people with spinal cord injuries a more precise technique for tapping out computer commands by using a thought-controlled cursor. A…

LC Technologies, a top industry developer of eye tracking software and NuShield, Inc., a screen protector and glare-elimination technology firm, have teamed up to provide communication mobility for disabled patients who can’t communicate through speech or hand motion, as is the case with ALS patients. Until very recently, large and bulky LCD monitors with matte…

In a new study entitled “Neural population dynamics in human motor cortex during movements in people with ALS” researchers at Stanford University shed light on how the brain controls muscle movement. Their findings may help accelerate the development of prosthetic devices for patients with motor neuron…

Researchers at the University of Alberta and the National Institute for Nanotechnology in Canada recently reported new insights into the misfolding process of proteins from a normal structure to a disease state characteristic of degenerative disorders. The study entitled “Protein misfolding occurs by slow diffusion…

Researchers at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) recently revealed new insights into the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. The study, published in The Journal of Neuroscience, is entitled “The Progranulin Cleavage Products, Granulins, Exacerbate TDP-43 Toxicity and Increase TDP-43 Levels”. Mutations in…