Via Scoop.it – ALS Lou Gehrig’s Disease
A Ben-Gurion University researcher and her colleagues have identified a chemical compound that may lead to prolonged lifespans for patients with Amytotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurodegenerative diseases. Prof. Esther Priel and her team published an article in the February edition of EMBO Molecular Medicine Journal, in which they demonstrate how their compound can induce an increased production of the enzyme telomerase in the bodies of laboratory mice and in human stem cells. The increased amount of telomerase slows the progression of ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. It will take at least 10 years to develop the compounds into a drug, she predicted. In the meantime, however, the team is producing positive results in animals, she said. While ALS remains a rare disease in Israel and throughout the world, Priel stressed just how debilitating it becomes to those who have it. “There are not a lot of people, fortunately, who have this disease, but it’s a terrible disease because they become paralyzed, and the head is working very well, so they are aware of what is going on with their body,” she said. “It is a devastating disease and there is no cure for it.”
Via www.jpost.com
ALS Research News 