A grant given to a researcher at the University of Albany in New York will support further work into specific RNA molecules, called RNA aptamers, that have shown early promise in treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The $768,825 U.S. Department of Defense award to Li Niu, PhD, a chemistry…

A messenger RNA (mRNA) molecule that provides the instructions for a protein involved in glutamate signaling is not edited as efficiently in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients as in people without the neurological disorder, according to a new study suggesting its potential use as an ALS biomarker. Glutamate is…

An investigational RNA molecule called an RNA aptamer halted the death of motor neurons and helped preserve motor function in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Further research is ongoing to confirm the findings in additional ALS models before testing it in humans, “but I’m optimistic that this…

Under an agreement with the University of Kansas, PharmaTher has gained exclusive worldwide rights to develop and possibly commercialize ketamine as a therapy for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). “We are pleased to have added the [ALS] program to our already impressive development pipeline…

MND-SMART, a pivotal platform trial designed to simultaneously test multiple treatment candidates in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other motor neuron diseases, has opened its third clinical site in Scotland. This type of platform trial, distinct from typical clinical trials that test a single treatment…

QurAlis Corporation has licensed preclinical small molecule compounds — designed to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) — from Eli Lilly and Company, furthering QurAlis’s specialization in ALS treatment development. The investigational molecules are aimed at specifically counteracting a pathological symptom of ALS called excitotoxicity, a process…

Bloom Science, a biopharmaceutical company, announced it has received a $500,000 grant from The ALS Association to advance a treatment that, by managing bacteria populations in the gut, might restore neurotransmitters in the brain to ease motor symptoms of…

A new tool to search for medicines that might treat neurodegenerative diseases linked to problems with mitochondria, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), has been developed by a team of scientists at the Scripps Research Institute, a study reports.  This tool…

Stem cell-derived motor neurons from people with familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have mutation-specific alterations in glutamate receptors and calcium signals, which may alter nerve signaling and play a role in the disease, a study found. These findings may lead to future…

Low levels of membralin protein in the brain cells that support and protect neurons lead to the accumulation of the neurotransmitter glutamate to levels that induce the death of motor neurons in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a mouse study shows. A gene therapy that rescued the levels of…