Steve Bryson, PhD, science writer —

A new amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) assessment called delta-FS — defined as the rate of decline over time in the ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised (ALSFRS-R) — has been proposed as an attractive, easily obtainable tool to monitor disease severity and predict patient prognosis. The assessment also could be used…

Target ALS has reached its capital campaign goal of $250 million to accelerate research and fuel scientific breakthroughs in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The campaign was spearheaded by founder Dan Doctoroff, a former deputy New York City mayor who was diagnosed with ALS in late 2021. He was…

Epigenetic changes — chemical modifications in DNA that alter gene activity — in nerve cells from people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may be associated with the rate of disease progression, a study suggested. Changes in certain regions of a patient’s nerve cell genome were able “to predict ALS…

Treatment with Qalsody (tofersen) in the real world slowed disease progression in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) caused by SOD1 mutations, a small study reports. It also stabilized patients’ quality of life and lowered levels of nerve damage-related biomarkers, which is consistent with clinical trial data that…

The developer of the add-on treatment masitinib for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has been given the go-ahead to ask Health Canada to reconsider its decision from earlier this year against the approval of the oral therapy. The Canadian regulatory agency granted reconsideration eligibility to AB Science for…

Relyvrio (sodium phenylbutyrate and taurursodiol), an approved treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), was voluntarily removed from the U.S. and Canadian markets. Amylyx Pharmaceuticals, the therapy’s developer, made the decision after top-line results from the Phase 3 PHOENIX trial (NCT05021536) showed that patients who received Relyvrio…

More than a third of people diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) also showed signs of frontotemporal dementia (FTD), according to a new study of brain tissue. In more than 90% of tissues examined, patients had clumps of the TDP-43 protein, a hallmark of…

AcuraStem has secured nearly $7 million in grant funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Defense (DOD) to accelerate the development of therapies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and related diseases. Coming on the heels of a…

Cigarette smoking, either currently or in the past, significantly increases the likelihood of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), particularly for women, according to a pooled meta-analysis of 32 studies. A risk of the neurodegenerative condition was higher in current smokers, and it increased in a non-linear manner with more…

The ALS Society of Canada (ALS Canada) has awarded two expedited grants totaling $200,000 to international researchers seeking to advance understanding of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Provided through the 2023 ALS Canada Acceleration Grant Program, a $100,000 grant will support Mónica Povedano, MD, at the Hospital de Bellvitge-IDIBELL…