A recent paper from French researchers questions one of the primary ideas about what causes amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and proposes that over-active nervous system cells are not a primary cause of the neurodegenerative disease. The paper, titled “Is hyperexcitability really guilty in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis?” appeared…

Researchers have discovered a potential new biomarker for amyotropic lateral sclerosis (ALS) — microRNA-206 — from studies using an experimental mouse model and the blood serum of 12 people with ALS. The report describing their research, titled “MicroRNA-206: A Potential Circulating Biomarker Candidate for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis,” appeared in the…

Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) all share a disease hallmark, the aggregation of “misfolded” proteins. Understanding the molecular processes underlying protein aggregation and how it leads to disease is an important step toward developing new therapies. Now, researchers at the University of Cambridge, in…

Japanese researchers have found possible biomarkers that could aid in the early detection of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The report, titled “Identification of plasma microRNAs as a biomarker of sporadic Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis” appeared on Oct. 24 in the journal Molecular Brain. In ALS…

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…

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…

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…

In a recent study entitled “Diabetes Mellitus, Obesity, and Diagnosis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis – A Population-Based Study” researchers investiagated the link between diabetes and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, confirming that type 2 diabetes, but not type 1, has a protective role against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis evidenced specially in…

According to a recent study published in the journal JAMA Neurology, type 2 diabetes is associated with a diminished risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The study revealed that the risk is directly associated with the age at diagnosis of diabetes and the age at diagnosis of…

AB Science SA, a pharmaceutical company focused on research, development and marketing of protein kinase inhibitors (PKIs), has announced that it is hosting a web conference including key opinion leaders and experts covering its experimental therapy masitinib and its utility to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The web conference call will be held from 5:35…