ALS biomarker

A biomarker test that identifies abnormal protein fragments called cryptic peptides may help detect amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in the early stages, a study found. Cryptic peptides from the HDGFL2 protein were elevated in fluid samples from people with ALS/FTD, including in those who had…

A test that assesses the electrical activity associated with blinking may help speed the diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and monitor disease progression in people with the condition, a study found. Findings showed that certain electrical waves can significantly distinguish people with ALS from healthy controls or…

Elevated blood levels of the Cystatin C protein are significantly associated with faster disease progression and shorter survival in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a study in China. The protein may serve as a biomarker to predict disease outcomes in people with ALS and identify those…

Levels of the TDP-43 protein in spinal fluid show promise as biomarkers for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and may aid in diagnosing the neurological disease, according to a new review of several published studies. That review discovered that these protein levels are increased in…

Doing a muscle biopsy to look for abnormal clumps of the TDP-43 protein in the nerve fibers of muscle tissue may be useful for the early detection of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a single-center study from Japan. “It is difficult to diagnose ALS in its early stages…

Creatine kinase, a marker of muscle damage, is significantly elevated in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and higher levels of this protein correlate with better survival rates in patients, a recent study found. These findings suggest that monitoring creatine kinase levels is useful for predicting disease progression…

Distinct RNA patterns in a person’s blood may signal the presence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a study reports. Researchers, led by Majid Hafezparast, PhD, a professor of molecular neuroscience at the University of Sussex in the U.K., discovered that certain types of non-coding RNA (ncRNA), a…

Researchers with Orion Corporation presented new data on levosimendan‘s mechanism of action, and potential biomarkers of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) progression. The data were recently presented in four posters at the 30th International Symposium on ALS/MND, held Dec. 4–6, in Perth, Australia. Levosimendan, a small molecule that acts…

The Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) recently awarded the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) a $750,000 human clinical trial grant to study positron emission tomography (PET) imaging to measure inflammation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients as a potential biomarker. This grant, which is part of a nonprofit partnership called…

Whether the damage done by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) also affects visual pathways, namely the macula, is a matter of debate among scientists and physicians. Researchers at the Feinberg School of Medicine investigated this, comparing the macular structure of ALS patients and examining its correlation with pulmonary function tests, and concluded that macular…