With the emergence of gene-targeted therapies, knowing whether your ALS has an underlying genetic cause is becoming more important. Research has shown that about two-thirds of people with familial ALS and about 10% of people with sporadic ALS (no family history) have a mutation (or change) in at least one of the more than 40 genes that have been linked to the disease.
The Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Northeast ALS (NEALS) Consortium announced topline results from Regimen D of the HEALEY ALS Platform Trial, which is evaluating pridopidine versus placebo in adults with ALS.
The ALS Association has awarded $1.6 million to fund four promising preclinical research projects through its Lawrence and Isabel Barnett Drug Development Program.
Dr. Anuradhika Puri is a postdoctoral research associate at Washington University in St. Louis. We talked with her to learn more about her ALS research, as well as her interests outside the lab.
The ALS Association has awarded $4.9 million to help speed the testing of ALS therapies through clinical trials. The Association’s inaugural Trial Capacity Awards will support efforts at 13 established and emerging ALS clinical trial sites to increase the number and diversity of people living with the disease who have the opportunity to participate and improve the efficiency and pace at which these studies are conducted.
The ALS Association has awarded nearly $800,000 to support 16 innovative research projects that have the potential to significantly impact the experience of ALS by optimizing current care and treatments, finding new treatments and cures, and aiding with diagnosis and prevention.
The ALS Association has awarded more than $700,000 to support five promising early career scientists through its Milton Safenowitz Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. This program encourages a pipeline of ALS researchers and innovative ideas that can lead to better ALS treatments and care.
We spoke with Pam Knott, vice president of data and technology at The ALS Association, to learn more about how the Association is harnessing the power and potential of big data to speed up the process of empowering people to live longer lives, to access care, to bring new treatments to market, and to reduce the harmful impact associated with the disease.
Biogen Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration extended the review period of the promising gene therapy treatment Tofersen to consider additional data. The initial review period, which was announced in July 2022, was scheduled to conclude in January 2023. The review will now be extended to April 25, 2023.
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NAS) is undertaking a study into accelerating the development of treatments and improving quality of life for people with ALS. This is a huge win for the community. The ALS Association led an effort to get Congress to direct NAS to undertake a study on ALS and also fought for $1 million to fund the study.