The other day, I watched a celebrity interview on TV. The soft-spoken man had short, neat hair and wore a blue button-down shirt. He looked like a banker or an accountant. But he was the bass guitarist in a rock-and-roll band! Boy, looks can be deceiving! It’s the same…

My family recently made a welcome discovery. It turns out that home healthcare for ALS patients is covered by Medicare. The revelation came as we faced a dilemma: my care needs had eclipsed my wife’s capacity to provide them. We had wondered how we could be assured of…

Researchers have developed an antibody, called armanezumab, which specifically targets defective tau protein. The molecule has potential for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), among other diseases. According to results of the study “Humanized monoclonal antibody armanezumab specific to N-terminus of pathological tau: characterization and therapeutic potency,”…

Researchers in China recently evaluated the changes of ferritin levels in the brain’s cerebrospinal fluid of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). They found that ALS patients exhibited significantly increased levels of ferritin, an iron-based protein, a result that indicates ferritin has value as a biomarker and could be used for…

Researchers at Nagoya University in Japan, in collaboration with several U.S. institutions, suggest that the collapse of the mitochondria‐associated membranes (MAM) is linked to the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Mitochondria‐associated membranes regulate calcium levels, mitochondrial function, and cell death in the body, and have been linked to neurodegenerative…

Incorporating music therapy into standard treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients may improve the patient’s quality of life, according to new research. The study, “Active Music Therapy Approach In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Randomized-Controlled Trial,” was published in the International Journal of Rehabilitation Research. “[T]he sonorous-music and…

Regenerative medicine investigators at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center have received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to test a novel combination stem cell-gene therapy they’ve developed to stall amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) progression. Enrollment in the trial is expected to commence soon. Also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, ALS is…

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques may detect biomarkers for early diagnosis in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a review study titled “The value of magnetic resonance imaging as a biomarker for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a systematic review,” published in BMC Neurology. Biomarkers are measurable substances, such…

A new study led by researchers with the United Nations (UN) has projected that the number of cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) will increase by 69% over the next 25 years, primarily due to population ageing. According to the study “Projected increase in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis…

AB Science announced that the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP) has granted Orphan Drug status to masitinib, a potential treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Masitinib is an orally administered tyrosine kinase inhibitor targeting mast cells and macrophages, key immune system cells, that works to…