In the summer of 2014, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge became a major Internet sensation as both entertainment and as a way of raising money to fight amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Like any good viral story, the challenge quickly spread all over the world. You’ve heard of the challenge, but…

Researchers have identified a factor that prevents SOD1 — a protein causing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in a proportion of patients — from misfolding. The finding may advance the development of new drug therapies to stop or slow progression of the disease. The study, “Endogenous macrophage migration inhibitory factor reduces the…

The presence of a certain type of proteins of the immune system in the blood may serve as a reliable biomarker for the diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), as well as the severity of the disease, according to a new study conducted by Japanese and American researchers. The study,…

Researchers at Trinity College Dublin will head to Latin America to investigate whether the probability of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is reduced in people with mixed ancestry. This new project will examine the hypothesis that mixed ancestral backgrounds might protect a person from developing ALS. Researchers will set up new…

Researchers report that evaluating a person’s control of tongue movement during speech can help to diagnose bulbar disease, especially in its early stages, in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). ALS affects motor neurons in the brain, brainstem, and spinal cord. If patients show alterations in speech or swallowing abilities they are…

AB Science recently announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has accepted a conditional marketing authorization application for the tyrosine kinase inhibitor masitinib to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). AB Science develops protein kinase inhibitors (PKIs), a class of targeted proteins that are key for signaling pathways within cells. It has been shown that blocking…

A report from scientists in the Netherlands indicates that patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) who develop frontotemporal syndrome (FS), do not survive much longer when given a ventilation mask. In fact, 30 – 50% of patients with ALS and behavior/cognitive deficits due to FC do not respond to the breathing mask, called non-invasive…

Several studies have shown that oligodendrocytes, cells that normally protect neurons, can also contribute to neuronal death in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Now, researchers demonstrate this toxic turn of events and show how these cells induce neuronal death. This finding may encourage new therapies for ALS to target the dysfunctional activity…

Neuraltus Pharmaceuticals has initiated the second Phase 2 clinical trial of NP001 for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), with the goal of confirming the clinical findings of the previous Phase 2 study in ALS patients with elevated levels of baseline inflammation. The study is currently recruiting…

By introducing a mutation in SOD1 — the protein believed to be responsible for a large part of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) cases — researchers managed to prevent the protein from clumping in a way that kills neurons. The study, “A Phosphomimetic Mutation Stabilizes SOD1 and Rescues…