MND / ALS
Researchers have shown how faults in DNA repair, caused by gene mutations, can lead to motor neurone disease, pointing to possible new treatment targets. The study found that mutations in the CFAP410 gene make neurones more vulnerable to DNA damage, rather than disrupting cell structures as once believed. Motor neurone disease (MND), also called amyotrophic [...]
A 65-year-old father-of-three with motor neurone disease (MND) has broken four wheelchair Guinness World Records in a single day. Paul Jameson, from Godalming in Surrey, who can no longer walk or talk, described his feat as a journey from “tragedy to triumph”. The entrepreneur was diagnosed in June 2017 with progressive bulbar palsy (PBP) – [...]
An MND patient who lost her voice 25 years ago can now speak again after AI rebuilt it from an eight-second VHS clip. Sarah Ezekiel, 59, from Hendon in London, was left unable to speak or use her hands when motor neurone disease (MND) – a condition that damages the brain and nerves – struck [...]
Researchers have discovered why some nerve cells resist ALS and identified protective factors that could open new paths for treatment. By examining millions of messenger RNA molecules during disease progression, scientists found that motor neurons controlling eye muscles resist ALS because they sustain high levels of protective proteins. The study focused on a hereditary form [...]
Charity rowers mistaken for migrants by an MP have finished the first leg of their Britain circumnavigation, reaching the Forth Bridge near Edinburgh. The Row4MND crew rowed around 900 miles since leaving Land’s End on 25 July, burning 450,000 calories while battling sleep deprivation and exhaustion. They are raising money for Leeds Hospitals Charity, the [...]
A genetic therapy called tofersen has been approved in the UK to treat SOD1-ALS, a rare inherited form of motor neurone disease. The drug targets amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) caused by mutations in the SOD1 gene – which produces an enzyme called superoxide dismutase 1 – leading to a toxic protein that damages nerve cells. [...]
A four-person crew is attempting a 900-mile row from Land’s End to John O’Groats to raise £57m for motor neurone disease (MND) research over four years. The Row 4 MND team were set to leave Cornwall at around 08:30 BST and aim to reach Scotland via the Irish Sea in about 21 days. MND is [...]
The first research nurse has joined a new UK-wide network aiming to improve access to motor neurone disease trials. Andy Hamilton has been appointed at Newcastle’s MND Care and Research Centre as part of a £7.2m programme to embed specialist nurses in 24 MND Care Centres and Networks across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The [...]
Northern will name a train in honour of Rob Burrow, the Leeds Rhinos star who campaigned for motor neurone disease research before his death in June. The train operator is working with Burrow’s family and the MND Association to design artwork for the tribute, which aims to raise awareness of motor neurone disease – a [...]
The Longitude Prize on ALS, a new £7.5 million global challenge prize, has launched today to incentivise and reward cutting edge AI-based approaches to transform drug discovery for the treatment of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), the most common form of MND (motor neurone disease). ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that damages the nerves in [...]
