Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis News and Research

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Alnylam achieves delivery of novel siRNAs conjugates to the central nervous system

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today that the Company has achieved delivery of novel small interfering RNA conjugates to the central nervous system and is planning to advance a pipeline of investigational RNAi therapeutics into clinical development.

8 May 2018

Study reveals surprising insights into RNA-binding proteins

A host of special molecules called nuclear RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), when misplaced outside the nucleus, form the harmful clumps seen in several brain disorders, including frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

20 Apr 2018

Large ALS-causing protein aggregates protect rather than harm neurons

Scientists at the UNC School of Medicine have made a significant advance in the understanding of the complex and fatal neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

17 Apr 2018

Deficiency of innate immune adaptor TRIF shortens survival time of ALS mice

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a neurodegenerative disease damaging motor neurons in brain and spinal cords. ALS patients show progressive muscle weakness and atrophy, leading to a fatal respiratory muscle paralysis. There are no effective therapies for ALS.

16 Apr 2018

Aberrant protein prevents self-cleaning of nerve cells in ALS

Scientists have discovered that TDP-43 interferes with lysosomal pathways responsible for its clearance and induces autophagy in ALS.

12 Apr 2018

Houston Methodist-led research focuses on rare, inherited neurodegenerative disorder

A rare, inherited neurodegenerative disorder will soon be the focus of an international clinical research effort led by Houston Methodist and funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, part of the National Institutes of Health.

10 Apr 2018

ALS and frontotemporal dementia share genetic connections

Nearly half of all patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal neuromuscular disorder, develop cognitive problems that affect memory and thinking.

9 Apr 2018

Adult-onset degenerative disease mechanism begins much earlier than previously thought

The disease mechanism for adult-onset progressive degenerative diseases begins much earlier than previously thought, according to a Northwestern Medicine study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

30 Mar 2018

Specific immune cells may help slow progression of ALS, research shows

New research into Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) - also known as motor neuron disease - shows that specific immune cells may help slow progression of the disease, an important step towards developing new therapies to treat patients.

22 Mar 2018

Discovery of new ALS gene points to cytoskeleton as potential target for drug development

An international team of researchers led by John Landers, PhD, at UMass Medical School, and Bryan Traynor, MD, PhD, at the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health, has identified KIF5A as a new gene associated with the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

21 Mar 2018

Scientists discover basic molecular mechanism that helps understand how ALS works

It took eight long years of research, but now an international team led by neuroscientists at Université de Montréal has discovered a basic molecular mechanism that better helps understand how Lou Gehrig's disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), works.

19 Mar 2018

Discovery aids understanding of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Researchers have discovered a basic molecular mechanism that sheds light on the disease process underlying amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

19 Mar 2018

Clinical trial to test efficacy of stem cell transplants in stopping ALS muscle deterioration

Once funding is obtained, researchers can perform a clinical trial to test the efficacy of transplanting bone marrow cells into muscles to stop deterioration caused by the illness. The method has already yielded positive results on mice.

16 Mar 2018

NIH-funded researchers use CRISPR to rapidly find new genetic suspects behind ALS, FTD

NIH-funded researchers at Stanford University used the gene editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 to rapidly identify genes in the human genome that might modify the severity of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia caused by mutations in a gene called C9orf72.

13 Mar 2018

Impaired transport processes in neurons contribute to neurodegenerative disorders

Two partners have to find their way to each other in order to transport substances to the remote ends of special nerve fibers to maintain their function. If this partnering process is disturbed, the cells may die in the worst case, resulting in neurodegenerative disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or spinal muscular atrophy.

9 Mar 2018

Study reveals key function of ALS-linked protein

The protein FUS, whose mutation or disruption causes many cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), works as a central component of one of the most important regulatory systems in cells, according to a new study in Molecular Cell from scientists at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

8 Mar 2018

TSRI research offers explanation for why neurons die off in Parkinson's disease

An estimated 10 million people worldwide are living with Parkinson's disease--an incurable neurodegenerative disorder that leads to an increasing loss of motor control.

6 Mar 2018

The Neuro and Thermo Fisher Scientific team up to accelerate understanding of neurological disease

The Montreal Neurological Institute of McGill University, a world-leading institution focused on brain research and advanced patient care, and Thermo Fisher Scientific, the world leader in serving science, today announce an agreement designed to accelerate the understanding of neurological disease by focusing on about 30 proteins associated with Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), hereditary spastic paraplegias, epileptic encephalopathies and ataxias, which are all devastating brain diseases.

5 Mar 2018

Study sheds light on neuronal responses in ALS

In a recent study, scientists have linked changes in the size of motor neurons to the onset of symptoms in motor neurone disease (ALS).