A branch of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended that Amylyx‘s investigational oral compound AMX0035 be designated an orphan medicine to treat people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Orphan designation is given to medicines in Europe with the potential to be safe…

Reducing the excess firing of motor neurons in an animal model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) prevents the death of nerve cells and significantly delays the onset of motor symptoms, a recent study has found. Because the scientific approach made use of two techniques that have been studied extensively…

A team at the Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine has received a $1.6 million grant to study the role of the SOD1 protein — whose gene is often mutated in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) — in the communication between the gut and the brain. The National Institutes…

The Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) is hosting a Facebook Live event on May 1 concerning precautions and best practices needed to protect the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) community during the COVID-19 outbreak. The half-hour event, which kicks off ALS Awareness Month, is to begin at…

A weak link only between a person’s current smoking study and greater risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) was seen by scientists in a U.K. study, with no evidence that lifetime smoking exposure affects such risk. The researchers believe that this weak association is likely a “false-positive,” and there…

Injecting tiny particles carrying adapalene — an activator of the retinoic acid signaling pathway — to the brain and spinal cord of mice with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) can prolong animals’ survival, improve their motor function, and prevent neurodegeneration, a study shows. The study, “…

A  way of examining multiple genes or the entire human genome at the same time, called next-generation sequencing (NGS), is a promising tool for diagnosing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in routine clinical practice, a review study suggests. This method’s approach is faster and less expensive than the standard…

Changes in the metabolism of a class of fat molecules called sphingolipids may be a cause of motor neuron diseases like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a study reports. Targeting these alterations may open new way of treating these conditions. Sphingolipids are a class of lipids (fats) with a…

When amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) symptoms emerge during adolescence, mutations in the FUS gene are likely to blame, findings from a case report suggest. Mutations in this gene also are the cause of some adult-onset ALS cases. However, FUS-associated ALS is more aggressive in children in whom these…

Levels of plasma creatinine — a metabolic product of healthy muscle — are significantly associated with the functional status of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients, and can help predict their survival, results from a new study show. The findings suggest that plasma creatinine may be an important biomarker…