There’s a huge urgency worldwide to find new therapies that help patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal neurological disorder that causes people to eventually lose the ability to walk, talk, eat and breathe. In recognition of ALS Awareness Month, Dr. Deepti Lall shares why she’s optimistic about scientific advances for this fatal disease
Tag: ALS
Research uncovers new insights on ALS and points to a potentially promising treatment strategy
New research provides a better understanding of the mechanisms behind the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease, and points to a potential treatment strategy.
Does A Lifetime of Vigorous Exercise Increase the Risk of Developing ALS?
There is debate over whether vigorous physical activity is a risk factor for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). A new study suggests it depends on whether that vigorous activity you get over your lifetime happens on the job or during leisure time. The research is published in the October 20, 2021, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
JANICE M. MASSEY, MD AWARDED THE 2021 LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD BY AANEM
Janice M. Massey, MD, the first woman to be named professor of neurology with tenure at Duke University, is now the second woman in history to be selected as the recipient of AANEM’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
UIC researchers find evidence of possible link between herpes simplex and neurogenerative diseases
A new study by researchers at University of Illinois Chicago suggests that when the protein optineurin, or OPTN, is present in cells it restricts the spread of HSV-1, the herpes simplex virus type 1.In a “first of its kind” study, researchers also found a potential direct connection between neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), glaucoma, and the herpesvirus.
Mount Sinai Receives $2.9 Million to Study First-of-its-kind Brain Implant for Restoring Function in Paralyzed Patients
Department of Rehabilitation and Human Performance will lead Mount Sinai in national clinical trial
ALS Center at Jersey Shore University Medical Center Adds Advanced Nurse Practitioner
Patients are now able to make in-person and virtual appointments with an advanced practice nurse at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center’s ALS Center.
Hopkins Med News Update
NEWS STORIES IN THIS ISSUE:
-Study: Race and Ethnicity May Impact Prevalence and Treatment of Heart Valve Dysfunction
-Johns Hopkins Medicine Suggests Eliminating Nerve Cell Protein May Stop ALS, Dementia
-Researchers Tell Doctors to Avoid Routine Urinary Tests for Older Patients with Delirium
-Johns Hopkins Medicine Researchers Show How Air Pollution May Cause Chronic Sinusitis
-Researchers ID Location on Brain Protein Linked to Parkinson’s Disease Development
-COVID-19 News: The Return of Onsite Schooling — and How to Keep Your Kids Safe from COVID

ALS: Study Shows Role of Brain’s Immune Cells
Hyperactive immune cells in the brain may play a role in the early development of the neurodegenerative disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and a form of dementia that strikes younger people, according to a study conducted by investigators from Cedars-Sinai and published in the journal Neuron.
Cedars-Sinai Awarded $11.99 Million for ALS Clinical Trial
Cedars-Sinai has been awarded $11.99 million by California’s stem cell agency to launch a clinical trial testing a potential gene and stem cell therapy for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Researchers Identify New Gene that May Increase Risk of ALS
Researchers have identified a new gene that may increase a person’s risk of developing ALS, according to a new study published in the June 16, 2021, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The gene, called TP73, produces a protein to help regulate the life cycle of a cell. Researchers found that some people with ALS have mutations in this gene and that the mutations may interfere with nerve cell health.
A Distinctive Inflammatory Signature Found in a Genetic Form of ALS
Researchers find an increase in inflammatory molecules in serum and cerebrospinal fluid of C90RF72 patients, informing future anti-inflammatory therapies.
ALS Research Partnership Showing Promising Results
Research on a potential therapy for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) that’s taking place in a University at Albany chemistry lab is showing promising results.

Hackensack Meridian Hackensack University Medical Center Establishes Comprehensive ALS Center
Hackensack Meridian Hackensack University Medical Center has established an interprofessional Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Center which brings together all of the specialists a patient and family may need in one clinic, during one visit. The new ALS Center is the second such program in the Hackensack Meridian Health network, the other being at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center.

Manual workers face twice the risk of developing ALS
ALS is a progressive neurological disease that attacks the nerves that interact with the body’s muscles. The disease typically leads to complete paralysis of the body, robbing patients of their ability to walk, speak, eat and breathe.

A COSMIC Approach to Nanoscale Science
COSMIC, a multipurpose X-ray instrument at Berkeley Lab’s Advanced Light Source, has made headway in the scientific community since its launch less than 2 years ago, with groundbreaking contributions in fields ranging from batteries to biominerals.

World’s first: Drug guides stem cells to desired location, improving their ability to heal
Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute have created a drug that can lure stem cells to damaged tissue and improve treatment efficacy—a scientific first and major advance for the field of regenerative medicine. The discovery, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), could improve current stem cell therapies designed to treat such neurological disorders as spinal cord injury, stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurodegenerative disorders; and expand their use to new conditions, such as heart disease or arthritis.
Cellular pathway of genetic heart disease similar to neurodegenerative disease
Research on a genetic heart disease has uncovered a new and unexpected mechanism for heart failure. This landmark discovery found a correlation between the clumping of RNA-binding proteins ― long linked to neurodegenerative disease ― and the aggregates of protein found in the heart tissue of patients with RBM20 dilated cardiomyopathy.
ALS Patients Find Hope in New Study Authored by AANEM Members
There is some hope on the horizon for patients diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. More than a dozen members of the American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM) were authors on a study announcing the results showing promise in the fight against ALS that appeared in AANEM’s journal Muscle & Nerve.

UB biophysicist to explore molecular mysteries of protein-RNA droplets
Inside human cells, proteins and RNA can cluster together to form spherical droplets that play vital roles in cellular processes as well as in certain human diseases. A $2 million grant will allow biophysicist Priya Banerjee’s team at UB to explore the molecular details of protein-RNA condensates.

Brain Cell Death in ALS, Dementia Tied to Loss of Key Biochemical Transport Structure in Nucleus
Researchers have long sought to explain precisely how the most common genetic mutation linked to both amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia causes the death of nerve cells.

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis NEWS RELEASE Embargoed until 5 p.m. ET Wednesday, July 8, 2020 Experimental drug shows early promise against inherited form of ALS, trial indicates
A clinical trial conducted at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and other sites has found evidence that the experimental drug tofersen lowers levels of a disease-causing protein in people with an inherited form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, caused by mutations in the gene SOD1.
URI engineering professor helping ALS patients use their brains to communicate
KINGSTON, R.I. – June 25, 2020 – Doug Sawyer was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, 11 years ago. His only muscles that still function are those that control eye movement.Despite his disability, Sawyer still works as an engineer from his home, designing electronics for Hayward Industries.
Star-Shaped Brain Cells May Play a Critical Role in Glaucoma
After a brain injury, cells that normally nourish nerves may actually kill them instead, a new study in rodents finds. This “reactive” phenomenon may be the driving factor behind neurodegenerative diseases like glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness.
Restoring Nerve-Muscle Communication in ALS
A new study finds that restoring the protein SV2 in a genetic form of ALS can correct abnormalities in transmission and even prevent cells from dying, providing a new target for future therapies.
Researchers Discover Biomarkers of ALS in Teeth
Mount Sinai scientists have identified biological markers present in childhood that relate to the degenerative and often fatal neurological disease called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease, according to a study published in the Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology in May.

Rat Spinal Cords Control Neural Function in Biobots
Biological robots draw inspiration from natural systems to mimic the motions of organisms, such as swimming or jumping. Improvements to biobots to better replicate complex motor behaviors can lead to exciting biorobotic engineering applications to help solve real world challenges. However, this requires the creation of biohybrid, which is a challenge. Researchers combined an intact rat spinal cord with a tissue-engineered, 3D muscle system. They describe the novel biohybrid system in the journal APL Bioengineering.

Milestone in Advanced Light Source Upgrade Project Will Bring in a New Ring
An upgrade of the Advanced Light Source, a synchrotron at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), has passed an important milestone that will help to maintain the ALS’ world-leading capabilities. On Dec. 23 the DOE granted approval for a key funding step that will allow the project to start construction on a new inner electron storage ring known as an accumulator ring.

Injection of Virus-Delivered Gene Silencer Blocks ALS Degeneration, Saves Motor Function
Novel spinal therapy/delivery approach prevented disease onset in neurodegenerative ALS disease model in adult mice and blocked progression in animals already showing disease symptoms.
Scientists at Wake Forest School of Medicine Identify Genetic Variation Linked to Severity of ALS
A discovery made several years ago in a lab researching asthma at Wake Forest School of Medicine may now have implications for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a disease with no known cure and only two FDA-approved drugs to treat its progression and severity.