Previous research has shown that astrocytes may release one or more toxic factors that contribute to motor neuron death. Now, a new mouse study demonstrates how astrocytes release an inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) that contributes to motor neuron death. Their…

An analysis of the genetic profiles of thousands of neurons from postmortem brain tissue of people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and from healthy donors has revealed how a set of genes could cause neuron loss in ALS and frontal temporal dementia (FTD). The study, which was funded by the…

Broken String Biosciences and the Francis Crick Institute are partnering to develop novel applications for the start-up’s proprietary DNA break-mapping platform, INDUCE-seq, to investigate the impact of genomic instability in the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The partnership will examine DNA break-mapping technology and advance understanding of genomic instability…

Mutated C9orf72 may cause many cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) through the overproduction of Interleukin-17A (IL-17A), a potent inflammatory molecule, according to new work from researchers at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute and collaborators. Treatments that block IL-17A have already been approved by the U.S.…

Evidence-based, consensus guidelines for genetic testing and counseling for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have been created. The 35 guideline statements are published in Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology and include the new recommendation that all persons with ALS be offered comprehensive genetic testing. This, the authors said, will…

The neurodegenerative diseases amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) which usually manifest later in life may have their roots before a person is born, during embryonic brain development. These are the findings a study published last week in the journal Cell Reports by researchers at the Keck School…

Research led by Oregon Health and Science University and Stanford University School of Medicine suggests blocking a protein known as alpha-5 integrin could have therapeutic potential for treating the fatal neurological disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). When the researchers gave a monoclonal antibody that blocks alpha-5 integrin activity to mice…

Researchers at The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and Barrow Neurological Institute say they have detected repetitive expansions (cryptic exons) in the C9ORF72 gene in the brain cells from patients with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). The team noted that it is the first time that disease-linked…

Following up on their progress with the targeted amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) treatment Qalsody (tofersen), Biogen has made an agreement with NeuroSense Therapeutics that reinforces a biomarker-driven path. Biogen will help evaluate the effect of NeuroSense’s PrimeC on neurofilament levels in the plasma of participants in PARADIGM—a Phase IIb clinical…

A new study at Canada’s CHUM Research Centre (CRCHUM) has found that the probiotic bacterium Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus HA-114 prevents neurodegeneration in C. elegans, a model used for the study of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The findings, from the lab of Alex Parker a professor of neuroscience at the Université de…

Increasing the number and function of a certain type of white blood cell and returning them to the same patient may slow progression of the degenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), an early study suggests. The phase IIa trial indicated that infusions of autologous, expanded regulatory T-lymphocytes (Tregs) increased their…

Groundbreaking research could pave the way for a future diagnostic for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Researchers at Hiroshima University found that muscle biopsies tested for phosphorylated transactive response DNA-binding protein 43 (pTDP-43)–positive axons in intramuscular nerve bundles distinguish ALS patients. Their paper was published last month in JAMA Neurology. “It is difficult…

Both adult-onset neurodegenerative amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are worsened by genetic variants in a single gene, and the reason for that may be clearer thanks to a recent scientific study. The study shows how TDP-43 protein depletion, associated with almost all cases (97%) of ALS and…

A study by researchers from the University of Sheffield and Stanford University School of Medicine demonstrates how a new machine learning model can help uncover genetic risk factors for diseases such as MND. Motor neurone disease (MND) is a rare condition that progressively damages parts of the nervous system, which…

University of Cambridge researchers have grown ‘mini brains’ in the lab that model amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), two conditions that often overlap, and have also successfully tested a candidate drug on them. While such mini brains have been grown before, they have often been short lived…