Treating patients with their own immune regulatory T-cells (Tregs), in combination with IL-2 — a protein that boosts the cells’ immunosuppressive function and survival — is generally safe and shows potential to slow disease progression in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). That’s according to a small Phase…

The cerebrospinal fluid of people with sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (sALS), but not of those with familial forms of the disease, promoted ALS-specific molecular, cellular, and motor abnormalities in healthy mice, a study showed. Apolipoprotein B-100 (apoB100), a protein involved in cholesterol transport, was identified as the main…

I’ve been living with ALS for 12 years now, and it’s certainly taught me many lessons. They’ve involved having patience and perseverance, as well as getting back up over and over. The most important lesson, however, has been to let the present moment be what it is, instead of…

Altered forms of the SOD1 protein are found in the spinal cord nerve cells of people with all types of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), not just those with mutations in the gene providing instructions for making the protein, a study reported. “The results suggest this abnormal protein contributes to cell…

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has agreed to review an application seeking the conditional approval of AB Science’s masitinib, now Alsitek, for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Conditional approval is granted to a medication whose immediate availability fulfills an unmet medical need, when its preliminary benefits are…

Treatment with gene therapy candidate SynCav1 delayed disease onset and extended survival in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a new study. The experimental therapy aims to improve the survival of motor neurons in people with ALS irrespective of the underlying cause. “These data suggest that…

If you asked my late husband, Jeff, what he’d lost while living with ALS, he might have told you via text-to-speech technology that he missed his voice. His dry wit, irreverence, and affinity for gentle teasing relied, in some part, on his ability to speak. Or he might…

Treatment with terazosin, a medication approved to treat high blood pressure and enlarged prostate, was found to protect motor neurons and extend survival in animal models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in a new study. “Our work shows that terazosin is protective of motor neuron cell death in multiple…

A clinical trial is evaluating whether a new, implantable brain computer interface (BCI) is able to decode brain signals — ones research has shown are related to tasks relying on the hands or speech — and transform them into actions for people with neurological disease or injury. Up to 15…

One of the many things I love about living in Arizona is its unique weather patterns. For 10 months out of the year, we have warm temperatures and clear skies, followed by two months of thunderstorms. But lately, my ALS has made me dread each downpour — until I…