Original story from the University of Arizona (AZ, USA). An experimental drug that targets the TDP-43 protein offers hope for treating Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a condition that still lacks both a treatment and a cure. ALS received widespread awareness in the summer of 2014 thanks to an Ice Bucket Challenge. Millions of people participated in the challenge, drenching themselves in ice-cold water to bring visibility to this devastating neurodegenerative disease and generate charitable donations for research. The challenge takes place every year, but ALS still has no known treatment or cure. Now, University of Arizona (AZ, USA) researchers have found a promising experimental drug that could shield nerve cells from the damage of ALS. Working in mice and in human nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, the researchers found that blocking a small part of a key protein involved in ALS protects the nerve cells that the disease damages. “Current FDA-approved treatments for ALS provide only modest benefits. There is an urgent need for a real breakthrough,” remarked Xinglong Wang, senior author of the study published in Nature Aging and a professor at the R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy (AZ, USA). Wang published the study along with first author Ju Gao, an assistant research professor at the Coit College of Pharmacy. ALS is difficult to treat because it is often diagnosed only after substantial nerve cell damage has already occurred. The first sign is often weakness in a leg or an arm, Wang explained, but by…
