Rilutek (riluzole) is an oral treatment approved to slow the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The therapy can extend survival and/or the time to a tracheostomy — a procedure wherein a tube is inserted through the neck into the windpipe to help with breathing.
In most cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), dysfunction of a protein known as TDP-43 leads to abnormally low levels of another protein, stathmin-2, which is sufficient to drive nerve cell dysfunction, new data suggest. In an aim to restore stathmin-2 levels, researchers created a designer DNA treatment. Now,…
“So tell us, Dagmar, what’s your latest project?” The question came from my neurologist as we chatted during my recent ALS clinic visit. She asked not only for herself, but for the medical student who was also in the room. As I prattled on, part of my brain reflected…
My husband’s nose wouldn’t quit bleeding this past Sunday morning, preventing him from using his noninvasive ventilator. Todd is paralyzed from ALS, so he sat in his power wheelchair in front of the bathroom sink as I went to work. I packed his nostril with wadded up…
A potential new genetic risk factor for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has been discovered by researchers at the University of Washington. The scientists say a mutation in which a region of the WDR7 gene is repeated more times than usual may increase the risk of ALS. “We believe that…
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurological disorder that damages nerve cells and causes disability. The condition also is known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, after the famed New York Yankees baseball player who was diagnosed with the disorder in the late 1930s.
Four people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) each experienced a marked slowing in disease progression with COYA 302, an experimental immune-modulating therapy tested in a small proof-of-concept clinical trial, according to Coya Therapeutics, its developer. Based on these findings, Coya is planning to start work on further trials to…
ALS has taught me many life lessons, and a very important one is to never give up. For example, some days I get up, get going, and suddenly notice that one of my body parts isn’t moving as well as the day before. It’s a small, quirky thing, like…
Amylyx Pharmaceuticals is facing a new hurdle — a second round of questions from a European Medicines Agency (EMA) committee — in its quest to have AMX0035 approved as a treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in Europe. The questions, from the Committee for Medicinal Products for…
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also called Lou Gehrig's disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that runs in families in about 10% of cases. When more than one person in the same biological family is affected by the disease, it is referred to as familial ALS.
