Researchers at the University of Edinburgh studied the effect of the hormone serotonin in the regeneration of motor neurons after spinal cord injury that may one day hold implications in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), part of a large group of motor neuron diseases. The research paper, entitled “Serotonin Promotes Development…
Because amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is such a devastating disease, there is a need for novel and efficacious therapies and several studies hypothesize that growth hormone may be one of them. In a new review paper titled “The neuroprotective effects of human growth hormone as a potential treatment for amyotrophic lateral…
A consortium dedicated to finding a cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), comprised of ALS ACT, The ALS Association, ALS Finding a Cure, and the Translational Research Advancing Therapy ALS (TREAT ALS™) Northeast ALS Consortium (NEALS), has just announced the official start of acceptance of proposals for Phase II clinical trials for potentially groundbreaking treatments for the disease.
An ALS Association-sponsored meeting, held at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in Huntington, New York, brought together expert researchers to discuss three main themes in current amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research: antisense therapy, gene therapy and stem cell therapy. Recent ALS therapeutic approaches have not been very successful, with only one drug,…
The Rutgers’ Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, home to RUCDR Infinite Biologics — the world’s largest university-based biorepository — announced it has received a 5-year grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). The $6 million funding will allow Rutgers to assume management of the NINDS stem cell repository,…
Three recent studies published in the journals Nature and Nature Neuroscience identified a mutation in some forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal degeneration (FTD) that leads to neuronal death by disrupting the movement of molecules within the cellular nucleus. ALS and FTD are characterized by death…
The finding and validation of specific disease biomarkers are an unmet medical need for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) early diagnosis, patient care and monitoring. Neurofilaments, proteins that provide cytoskeletal support to neurons, are front and center in this scientific quest. Several studies have investigated the role of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) neurofilaments in…
The ALS Association, a nonprofit organization of global research and support for people with ALS and the Clinical Research in ALS and related disorders for Therapeutic development (CReATe) consortium, recently announced that two new amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research projects have been selected for funding. The studies will advance the discovery…
In a newly published paper in the Science Translation Medicine journal entitled “Human endogenous retrovirus-K induces motor neuron disease“, researchers from the National Institutes of Health found ancient viral genes left in the human genome might awaken to harm neurons and contribute to the development…
Cloud-based drug design and development company, Cloud Pharmaceuticals, Inc., recently announced it has partnered with THERAMetrics holding AG to collaborate on breakthrough treatments for orphan central nervous system (CNS) diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). ALS results in the progressive loss of structure and function of neurons, ultimately leading to their death. Symptoms depend on patients…
