An international team of investigators has discovered that an inorganic polyphosphate released by nerve cells known as astrocytes in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) contributes to the motor neuron death that is the signature of these diseases. The research, by Brigitte van Zundert, PhD, adjunct professor of neurology at UMass Chan and professor at the Universidad Andres Bello in Chile; Robert H. Brown Jr., DPhil, MD, professor of neurology, and colleagues appears this week in Neuron.
Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago are looking at the possibility that gastroenterological changes could be an early warning sign for Lou Gehrig’s disease. Their research in animal models also shows a promising treatment to slow the disease’s progression.
An international team of investigators has discovered that an inorganic polyphosphate released by nerve cells known as astrocytes in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) contributes to the motor neuron death that is the signature of these diseases. The research, by Brigitte van Zundert, PhD, adjunct professor of neurology at UMass Chan and professor at the Universidad Andres Bello in Chile; Robert H. Brown Jr., DPhil, MD, professor of neurology, and colleagues appears this week in Neuron.
Most of us are by now familiar with what’s happening in Ukraine. The invasion unimaginable just a few weeks ago transpired in full force took thousands of innocent lives and affected the wellbeing of tens of millions of others.
The Minnesota Senate on Thursday unanimously passed legislation to provide $20 million in grants for research against Lou Gehrig’s disease, a tribute to Sen. David Tomassoni, of Chisholm, who was diagnosed with the disease last year.
“ALS and FTD patients have long participated in genetic studies looking for changes in genes that might contribute to risk for disease,” said Thomas Cheever, Ph.D., program director at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). “Here, we see two independent research teams converging to explain how one of these changes can be a critical factor contributing to an entire class of neurodegenerative diseases, as well as a potential therapeutic target.”
Serum asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) level is an independent biomarker of disease progression and prognosis in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a study published in the European Journal of Neurology.
An experimental treatment given to a marathon runner in the early stages of ALS led to a significant and long-lasting reduction in levels of toxic dipeptide repeat proteins in the cerebrospinal fluid. The treatment, an antisense oligonucleotide directed at suppressing a repeat expansion in the non-coding region of chromosome 9 open reading frame 72, or C9ORF72, has not been proven to show a clinical benefit yet, but the patient's condition has remained stable since the infusion therapy protocol was started in 2019.
A small business owner and artist first started selling his work to pay the bills. Now, he's spreading awareness about ALS in memory of his father who died in 2017.