ALS Research: Q&A with Marc Weisskopf

In August 2012, MDA awarded a research grant totaling $301,614 over three years to Marc Weisskopf; the funds are helping support Weisskopf's work to identify nongenetic risk factors for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Risky Business: Nongenetic Factors May Increase Odds of Developing ALS

Everyone is born, and everyone dies. What happens in between — colds and flu, cardiac problems, cancer, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) — is anyone's guess. And people do guess. It's common — indeed, almost universal — after receiving a diagnosis for any condition to question whether there's something that could have been done to prevent it.

Answer Questions, Help Identify ALS Risk Factors

The identification of nongenetic risk factors can help scientists better understand and determine the causes of ALS. The work to uncover these factors is being facilitated by the National ALS Registry, funded by the federal government and headquartered in Atlanta at the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).

Diagnostic Blood Test for ALS Under Development

Development is under way of a blood test that may help doctors rule in or rule out a diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

FDA To Hold ALS Public Hearing: Input Encouraged by Feb. 8

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will hold a public hearing on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) on Feb. 25. It will be open to individuals and caregivers affected by ALS, ALS clinical research experts, and those with strong opinions about the needs of the ALS community.

ALS — Daniela Zarnescu, Ph.D.

Daniela Zarnescu, associate professor of molecular and cellular biology at the University of Arizona in Tucson, was awarded an MDA research grant totaling $405,000 over a period of three years to investigate whether anti-diabetic drugs may reduce the death of muscle-controlling nerve cells called motor neurons in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

ALS — Xin Wang, Ph.D.

Xin Wang, assistant professor of neurosurgery at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Mass., was awarded an MDA research grant totaling $405,000 over a period of three years to identify and test novel drug candidates for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

The need for new drugs in ALS is clear, Wang says, because the only drug approved for the disease is riluzole, which extends survival on average by only about three months.

ALS — Jeffrey Rothstein, M.D., Ph.D.

Jeffrey Rothstein, professor of neurology and neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., was awarded an MDA research grant totaling $392,706 over a period of three years to study the most common genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), using cells derived from patient skin samples.

ALS, IBM — Eric Ross, Ph.D.

Eric Ross, associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, was awarded an MDA research grant totaling $363,000 over a period of three years to study proteins whose aggregation causes neurodegeneration.

ALS — Li Niu, Ph.D.

Li Niu, professor and chair of chemistry at the State University of New York at Albany, was awarded an MDA research grant totaling $405,000 over a period of three years to develop new drugs as potential therapies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Pages

MDA in Your Community