Research News
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December 10, 2010
Immune system regulator shows safety in ALS
Neuraltus Pharmaceuticals announced Nov. 30, 2010, that its experimental drug NP001 was safe and well-tolerated at four different dose levels when given as
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December 03, 2010
A population of stem cells called NG2+ cells — which mature into central nervous system support cells called oligodendrocytes — exhibit significant developmental differences in healthy mice compared
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November 19, 2010
What's a meaningful change for someone with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or his or her caregiver? A new, MDA-supported study seeks to answer that question.
It's believed that physical or
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November 10, 2010
With approximately 54 million Americans living with disabilities, exploring and understanding factors that might facilitate or hinder acceptance of one’s disability may be an important area of
November 01, 2010
Editor’s note: The following commentary was written in response to an Aug. 18 paper in the Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology, and subsequent news stories suggesting that head
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November 01, 2010
In order to help doctors and scientists find treatments for ALS, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has developed a national registry to collect information from people
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November 01, 2010
ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) CEO and Chief Scientific Officer Steve Perrin presented updates on the Institute’s drug development pipeline for ALS during the research symposium portion
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November 01, 2010
Expanded ataxin 2 genes increase ALS risk
Scientists working in the United States and Germany have uncovered what appears to be the most common genetic contributor to ALS so far identified. The
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October 21, 2010
The Maryland biotherapeutics company Neuralstem will move its clinical trial of neural stem cells in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) into its next stage, following a thumbs-up from
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October 20, 2010
After two years of laying the groundwork, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has opened its National ALS Registry to collect information from people living with ALS.
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October 19, 2010
A new study suggests misfolding of the SOD1 protein may be a common contributor not only to familial (inherited) amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) caused by mutations in the SOD1 gene but to the
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October 13, 2010
Themes discussed throughout the research symposium included ALS genetics, clinical trials, the role of the immune system in disease onset and progression, biomarkers, and the use of stem cells in
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October 06, 2010
Editor's note: This story was updated April 27, 2012.
Immune-system rejection of newly synthesized dystrophin protein occurred in at least some of the boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) who
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October 01, 2010
Update (Jan. 23, 2013): As of eary 2013, MDA's DMD Clinical Research Network includes these five sites: University of California, Davis (UC Davis); Nemours Children's Hospital in Orlando, Fla.;
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September 22, 2010
Trial results announced for drug for laughing/crying jags
Episodes of unwanted, uncontrollable laughing or crying (known as "pseudobulbar affect" or PBA) in individuals with ALS or multiple sclerosis
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September 13, 2010
DNA variants
Variant sequences of DNA within a small region of chromosome 9 have been found to be associated with sporadic ALS (ALS without a family history) in a study that compared samples from
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September 09, 2010
Update (Jan. 23, 2013): As of early 2013, MDA's DMD Clinical Research Network includes these five sites: University of California, Davis (UC Davis); Nemours Children's Hospital in Orlando, Fla.;
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September 07, 2010
Luring away myostatin, and possibly other proteins that inhibit muscle growth, using a gene for a "decoy receptor" increased muscle size and strength in mice with a muscle disease resembling human
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September 01, 2010
ALS participants sought for study probing oxidative stress
Investigators conducting a large study of a cell-damaging phenomenon called “oxidative stress,” common in ALS and other degenerative
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September 01, 2010
Animal models — research animals with a form of the disease being studied — are one of the most important tools in ALS research today, says Fernando Vieira, director of in vivo validation at the ALS
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September 01, 2010
MDA has awarded 10 grants totaling nearly $3.5 million to fund research projects focused on uncovering the causes of and developing therapies for ALS.
The new grants went to investigators at labs in
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September 01, 2010
The ALS TDI, an MDA-supported, nonprofit biotechnology organization in Cambridge, Mass., hosted a public webinar (online seminar) on July 27, 2010. Below is a summary of the main points of the report
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August 27, 2010
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded $7 million to Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and designated the institution a Paul D. Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Cooperative
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August 27, 2010
A study to determine the early features of late-onset Pompe disease (acid maltase deficiency)is seeking 250 adults who have a clinical diagnosis of unclassified limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD
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August 27, 2010
Biogen Idec and Knopp Neurosciences announced Aug. 18, 2010, that they have entered into an agreement to continue developing KNS-760704 (dexpramipexole) as an experimental treatment for ALS. The drug
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