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Smoking May Now be Considered an
Established Risk Factor for ALS

While previous studies have indicated a “probable” connection between smoking and ALS, a new study published in the Nov. 17, 2009 issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, states that smoking may now be considered an “established” risk factor for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

The findings come from Baystate Medical Center neurologist Dr. Carmel Armon, an ALS researcher and neuroepidemiologist, who came to this conclusion using evidence-based methods to perform a rigorous analysis of studies examining the link between smoking and developing ALS -- a fatal neurodegenerative disease affecting the motor nerves and the voluntary muscles

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New "Antisense" Experimental Therapy Clinical Trial Announced

A new experimental therapy using an approach known as antisense, in which a drug is designed to shut down the RNA (Ribonucleic acid) that is responsible for the production of disease-causing proteins, is being prepared for a clinical trial in people with a familial form of ALS later this year. The clinical trial follows research funded by The ALS Association through TREAT ALS (Translational Research Advancing Therapy for ALS), our research pipeline that funds and facilitates the development of treatments for ALS based on important laboratory findings. 

The research that resulted in the identification of this antisense drug was first funded by The ALS Association in 2003, and has been developed for the clinic through an academic/industry partnership.  ALS Association-funded researchers Drs. Don Cleveland Richard Smith and Timothy Miller, in partnership with Isis Pharmaceuticals in Carlsbad, Calif., initiated experiments in a rat model of ALS to determine whether reducing the amount of SOD1 protein may be beneficial in treating the disease.

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New Guidelines Identify Best Treatments
To Help ALS Patients Live Longer, Easier

New guidelines from the American Academy of Neurology identify the most effective treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often called Lou Gehrig's disease. The guidelines are published in the October 13, 2009, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

“While we are waiting for a cure, people need to know that a lot can be done to make life easier and longer for people with ALS,” said lead guidelines author Robert G. Miller, MD, with the Department of Neurology at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco and Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology.

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