Motor Neurone Disease News and Research

Latest Motor Neurone Disease News and Research

UCL to establish new center for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases

A new centre dedicated to the understanding and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases will be established at UCL following the award of a £20million grant from the Wolfson Foundation, it was announced today.

19 Dec 2011

Families help identify new gene for motor neuron disease

Families suffering from a history of motor neuron disease have helped an international scientific team locate a new gene linked to the incurable disease.

22 Sep 2011

Cellular pathology of Lou Gehrig’s disease discovered

Researchers claim to have found a common cause behind the mysterious and deadly affliction of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The discovery could pave the way to new treatments for the devastating disorder whose victims include top physicist Professor Stephen Hawking.

22 Aug 2011

New drug to prevent Alzheimer's could be tested on patients within six years

A new drug to prevent the development of Alzheimer's disease could be tested on patients within six years according to researchers at Lancaster University.

9 Aug 2011

Long ring finger linked to Lou Gehrig’s disease

In some of the latest studies it has been found that finger length could be linked to various traits in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. These people tend to have longer ring fingers, compared with their index fingers, than do people without the disease.

11 May 2011

Lithium shows hope for Alzheimer’s disease

According to scientists Alzheimer’s disease, a progressively damaging motor neuron condition, could be treated by lithium, a naturally occurring element that is extremely inexpensive and already in use for other psychiatric disorders.

29 Apr 2011

Drug delivery breakthrough for Alzheimer’s disease

Till date all attempts to get drugs into the brain were countered by the blood-brain barrier - the natural defense against potentially harmful chemicals floating around the body. However this new finding from a team from University of Oxford shows that now scientists have successfully switched off a gene implicated in Alzheimer’s disease in the brains of mice by exploiting tiny particles naturally released by cells, called exosomes.

21 Mar 2011

Researchers develop diagnostic test for motor neurone disease

NeuRA researchers are one step closer to developing a diagnostic test for motor neurone disease. Dr Steve Vucic, from Neuroscience Research Australia, says the test will allow people with motor neurone disease to be diagnosed up to eight months earlier than is currently possible.

17 Mar 2011

Scientists discover new way to generate human motor nerve cells

Scientists have discovered a new way to generate human motor nerve cells in a development that will help research into motor neurone disease.

2 Mar 2011

34% of Britons put getting cancer down to fate

Cancer is the nation's number one fear but more than a third think getting the disease is down to fate and there is nothing they can do to avoid it - according to a Cancer Research UK survey out today (Wednesday).

8 Dec 2010

Dilemmas created for healthcare professionals by medicinal use of cannabis

Nurses have a responsibility to respect and support patients who use cannabis for medicinal purposes, but must stay within the law and follow professional guidance at all times, according to a research review in the September issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing.

3 Sep 2010

New research clinic in Edinburgh to improve outcomes for multiple sclerosis sufferers

A research clinic for multiple sclerosis patients is being set up with a -10 million donation from the author J K Rowling.The Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic at the University of Edinburgh will place patients at the heart of research to improve outcomes for multiple sclerosis sufferers.

2 Sep 2010

Research finding could yield new ideas for treating symptoms of motor neurone disease

Scientists in Aberdeen have discovered a mechanism that muscles use to regulate the nerves which control them. They believe their finding could yield new ideas for treating symptoms of motor neurone disease - a progressive and incurable neurodegenerative condition that leads to muscle weakness and wasting - and other neuromuscular conditions.

13 Jul 2010

Stem cell research could lead to new treatment strategies for motor neuron disease

The Motor Neurone Disease Association is funding its first ever stem cell research programme to help unlock the secrets of this fatal, neurological condition.

24 May 2010

Findings provide new insight into factors causing neurodegenerative diseases

Scientists at the Babraham Institute have discovered a novel survival factor whose rapid transport along nerve cells is crucial for keeping them alive. The same factor seems likely to be needed to keep our nerves healthy as we age.

27 Jan 2010

Clinical results from Phase 2 study of KNS-760704 presented by Knopp Neurosciences

Knopp Neurosciences Inc. (“Knopp”) announced the presentation today of encouraging clinical results in a Phase 2 safety and tolerability study of KNS-760704 in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (“ALS”).

9 Dec 2009

Daval International receives award for its anti-inflammatory agent AIMSPRO

Following the provision of clinical and scientific data to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), privately owned UK company Daval International Limited (http://www.davalinternational.com) has been informed that its innovative anti-inflammatory agent AIMSPRO(R) has been awarded an Orphan-Drug designation for the treatment of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

9 Nov 2009

Knopp Neurosciences to present phase 2 results of drug candidate in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Knopp Neurosciences Inc. said the results of a Phase 2 safety and tolerability study of KNS-760704 in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) will be presented at the 20th International Symposium on ALS/MND in Berlin on December 9, 2009.

11 Aug 2009

Stem cell technology innovation could reduce the number of animal experiments

Researchers from the University of Bath are embarking on a project to use stem cell technology that could reduce the number of animal experiments used to study conditions such as motor neurone disease.

4 Aug 2009

Palliative care skills training needed for health-care staff in sub-Saharan Africa

A new study, led by Lucy Selman and colleagues from King's College London, has found that patients with incurable, progressive diseases and their family carers in sub-Saharan Africa often do not receive enough information about the patient's disease and its management, which impacts negatively on their ability to cope with illness.

22 Apr 2009