The Australian non-profit organization FightMND has awarded Lauren Sciences a AU$1 million ($710,000 US) grant to further the biotechnology company’s development of a new treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Specifically, the New York-based biotechnology company will use the funds to advance LAUR-301, a medicine that aims…

For more than four decades, comedian Jerry Lewis hosted the MDA Labor Day Telethon on behalf of the Muscular Dystrophy Association. That annual event helped the MDA become the nation’s largest non-government source of funding for neuromuscular disease research, with more than $1.4 billion disbursed since its establishment 68…

Differences in blood parameters, such as total protein levels, are associated with different stages of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), meaning they could become valuable biomarkers to track disease progression in clinical practice, a study suggests. The study, “Clinical disease stage related changes of serological factors in amyotrophic lateral…

Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America (MTPA), in collaboration with the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), is conducting a study to identify biomarkers related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which may be helpful to measure patient response to Radicava (edaravone). The study will be sponsored by MTPA, Radicava’s seller in…

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) prevalence in a large group of patients with Medicare coverage was found to be higher than that previously reported in the U.S., according to a study. Findings also revealed that having ALS was associated with shorter survival than other motor neuron diseases (MND). The study,…

Long-term mercury exposure over a period of years may increase the risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis later (ALS) in life, a case report suggests. The study, “Heavy metal intoxication and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: causal or casual relationship?” was published in the journal Aging Clinical and Experimental Research.

Several species of bacteria and fungi were found living in the central nervous system (CNS) of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) that could potentially be related to the development of the disease, a study reports. However, according to the researchers, more studies are still needed to confirm if…

A specific type of supporting cells called Schwann cells protect against nerve degeneration induced by the blood-clotting protein thrombin, according to new research in mice. Researchers say the findings could have implications for treatment development in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer’s. The study, “…

Biochemist Dorothee Dormann, PhD, at the Ludwig Maximilians University, in Munich, was awarded the 2019 Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize for Young Researchers for her groundbreaking work showing that amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) share common underlying processes that drive disease development.

Higher levels of apathy — particularly its behavioral symptoms — in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are associated with a degree of greater burden for caregivers, according to a new study. The research, “The burden of apathy for caregivers of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,”…