Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis News

January 1, 2026

Top Headlines

Cancer Cells Depend on a Dangerous DNA Repair Trick

Dec. 27, 2025 Researchers have discovered how cells activate a last-resort DNA repair system when severe damage strikes. When genetic tangles overwhelm normal repair pathways, cells flip on a fast but error-prone emergency fix that helps them survive. Some cancer ...

A New Drug Could Stop Alzheimer’s Before Memory Loss Begins

Dec. 22, 2025 New research suggests Alzheimer’s may start far earlier than previously thought, driven by a hidden toxic protein in the brain. Scientists found that an experimental drug, NU-9, blocks this early damage in mice and reduces inflammation linked to ...

The 98% Mystery: Scientists Just Cracked the Code on “Junk DNA” Linked to Alzheimer’s

Dec. 19, 2025 Researchers have revealed that so-called “junk DNA” contains powerful switches that help control brain cells linked to Alzheimer’s disease. By experimentally testing nearly 1,000 DNA switches ...

Scientists Found a New Way to Slow Aging Inside Cells

Dec. 19, 2025 A small tweak to mitochondrial energy production led to big gains in health and longevity. Mice engineered to boost a protein that helps mitochondria work more efficiently lived longer and showed better metabolism, stronger muscles, and healthier ...

Scientists Rewired Down Syndrome Brain Circuits by Restoring a Missing Molecule

Dec. 17, 2025 A missing brain molecule may be disrupting neural wiring in Down syndrome, according to new research. Replacing it in adult mice rewired brain circuits and improved brain flexibility, challenging the ...

Scientists Reveal a Tiny Brain Chip That Streams Thoughts in Real Time

Dec. 9, 2025 BISC is an ultra-thin neural implant that creates a high-bandwidth wireless link between the brain and computers. Its tiny single-chip design packs tens of thousands of electrodes and supports advanced AI models for decoding movement, perception, ...

Single Enzyme Mutation Reveals a Hidden Trigger in Dementia

Dec. 9, 2025 Researchers discovered that a tiny structural feature of the enzyme GPX4 helps keep neurons safe. A rare mutation removes this protection, allowing harmful molecules to damage cell membranes and trigger early dementia. Mouse and cell studies showed ...

Scientists Discover First Gene Proven to Directly Cause Mental Illness

Dec. 2, 2025 Scientists have discovered that a single gene, GRIN2A, can directly cause mental illness—something previously thought to stem only from many genes acting together. People with certain variants of this gene often develop psychiatric symptoms much ...

Hidden Mitochondrial DNA Damage May Be a Missing Link in Disease

Nov. 28, 2025 Researchers identified a new, sticky form of mitochondrial DNA damage that builds up at dramatically higher levels than in nuclear DNA. These lesions disrupt energy production and activate stress-response pathways. Simulations show the damage makes ...

Your Body May Already Have a Molecule That Helps Fight Alzheimer’s

Nov. 27, 2025 Spermine, a small but powerful molecule in the body, helps neutralize harmful protein accumulations linked to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. It encourages these misfolded proteins to gather into manageable clumps that cells can more efficiently ...

Nanoflowers Supercharge Stem Cells to Recharge Aging Cells

Nov. 27, 2025 Texas A&M researchers found a way to make stem cells produce double the normal number of mitochondria using nanoflower particles. These energized stem cells then transfer their surplus “power packs” to weakened cells, reviving their energy ...

One Protein May Hold the Key to Fixing Leukemia Treatment Failure

Nov. 24, 2025 Scientists have uncovered how leukemia cells manage to escape one of the most commonly used treatments. Over time, these cancer cells subtly change the shape of their mitochondria to avoid dying when the drug tries to kill them. By identifying the ...

Latest Headlines

updated 8:06am EST

Boosting One Protein Helps the Brain Protect Itself from Alzheimer’s

Nov. 23, 2025 Researchers discovered that raising the protein Sox9 can help the brain’s astrocytes clear out toxic plaque buildup linked to Alzheimer’s. In mouse models that already showed memory problems, ...

Hidden Microglia Switch Helps Protect the Brain from Alzheimer’s

Nov. 22, 2025 Scientists discovered that lowering a specific molecule helps microglia switch into a protective state that quiets brain inflammation in Alzheimer’s. A small group of these cells seems to have an ...

New Airflow Device Captures Indoor Germs Before They Spread

Nov. 21, 2025 A new airflow device from UBC Okanagan engineers traps exhaled aerosols almost immediately, sharply reducing pathogen exposure in indoor spaces. Early simulations suggest it could outperform existing ...

Chronic Pain May Dramatically Raise Your Blood Pressure

Nov. 17, 2025 Chronic pain might quietly push people toward developing high blood pressure—and the more widespread the pain, the greater the danger. A massive analysis of over 200,000 adults uncovered strong ...

Scientists Reverse Kidney Damage in Mice, Hope for Humans Next

Nov. 14, 2025 Researchers uncovered how fatty molecules called ceramides trigger acute kidney injury by damaging the mitochondria that power kidney cells. By altering ceramide metabolism or using a new drug ...

Your Anxiety May Be Controlled by Hidden Immune Cells in the Brain

Nov. 13, 2025 Researchers have uncovered surprising evidence that anxiety may be controlled not by neurons but by two dueling groups of immune cells inside the brain. These microglia act like biological ...

Tiny Implant Wipes out Bladder Cancer in 82% of Patients

Nov. 11, 2025 TAR-200, a small drug-releasing implant, wiped out tumors in most patients with high-risk bladder cancer. Its slow, consistent release of chemotherapy proved far more effective than traditional ...

A Hidden Breathing Problem May Be Behind Chronic Fatigue’s Crushing Exhaustion

Nov. 10, 2025 Scientists have discovered that most chronic fatigue patients experience dysfunctional breathing, which may worsen their symptoms. The likely culprit ...

Scientists Find Brain Cells That Could Stop Alzheimer’s

Nov. 8, 2025 Researchers have identified special immune cells in the brain that help slow Alzheimer’s. These microglia work to reduce inflammation and block the spread of harmful proteins. They appear to ...

Scientists Just Found a Hidden Genetic Flaw That Slowly Steals Strength

Nov. 6, 2025 A newly identified disorder, MINA syndrome, results from a mutation in the NAMPT protein that deprives motor neurons of energy, leading to severe movement problems. The discovery not only deepens ...

Scientists Find Hidden Brain Source That Fuels Dementia

Nov. 6, 2025 Weill Cornell researchers uncovered how free radicals from astrocyte mitochondria can fuel dementia. Using new compounds that target these radicals at their source, they slowed brain inflammation and ...

Scientists Shocked to Find E. Coli Spreads as Fast as the Swine Flu

Nov. 4, 2025 Researchers have, for the first time, estimated how quickly E. coli bacteria can spread between people — and one strain moves as fast as swine flu. Using genomic data from the UK and Norway, ...

Scientists Discover the Nutrient That Supercharges Cellular Energy

Nov. 3, 2025 Scientists uncovered how the amino acid leucine enhances mitochondrial efficiency by preserving crucial proteins that drive energy production. By downregulating the protein SEL1L, leucine prevents ...

Scientists Find Hidden Antibiotic 100x Stronger Against Deadly Superbugs

Oct. 29, 2025 A team of scientists discovered a hidden antibiotic 100 times stronger than existing drugs against deadly superbugs like MRSA. The molecule had been overlooked for decades in a familiar bacterium. It ...

Alzheimer’s Might Be Powered by a Broken Sleep-Wake Cycle

Nov. 3, 2025 Disrupted sleep patterns in Alzheimer’s disease may be more than a symptom—they could be a driving force. Researchers at Washington University found that the brain’s circadian rhythms are ...

From Poison to Power: How Lead Exposure Helped Shape Human Intelligence

Oct. 16, 2025 Long before humans built cities or wrote words, our ancestors may have faced a hidden threat that shaped who we became. Scientists studying ancient teeth found that early humans, great apes, and even ...

Breakthrough Blood Test Finally Confirms Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Nov. 3, 2025 A team of scientists has developed a highly accurate blood test for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. The test reads tiny DNA patterns that reveal the biological signature of the illness. For millions ...

Hidden Cellular “power Switch” Could Transform Parkinson’s Treatment

Oct. 4, 2025 Researchers uncovered a key cellular regulator, PP2A-B55alpha, that controls both the cleanup of damaged mitochondria and the creation of new ones. In Parkinson’s disease models, reducing this ...

A Toxic Alzheimer’s Protein Could Be the Key to Fighting Cancer

Oct. 10, 2025 A surprising link between Alzheimer’s and cancer reveals that amyloid beta, a harmful protein in the brain, actually empowers the immune system. It strengthens T-cells’ energy production, helping ...

Stunning Images Reveal How Antibiotics Shatter Bacterial Defenses

Sep. 29, 2025 Researchers have revealed how polymyxins, crucial last-resort antibiotics, break down bacterial armor by forcing cells to overproduce and shed it. Astonishingly, the drugs only kill bacteria when ...

Brain Fat, Not Just Plaques, May Be the Hidden Driver of Alzheimer’s

Sep. 24, 2025 For decades, scientists believed Alzheimer’s was driven mainly by sticky protein plaques and tangles in the brain. Now Purdue researchers have revealed a hidden culprit: fat. They found that brain ...

Supercharged Vitamin K Could Help the Brain Heal Itself

Oct. 14, 2025 Researchers have synthesized enhanced vitamin K analogues that outperform natural vitamin K in promoting neuron growth. The new compounds, which combine vitamin K with retinoic acid, activate the ...

Hidden Brain Signal Reveals Alzheimer’s Years Before Symptoms

Sep. 22, 2025 A new study has revealed that TSPO, a protein linked to brain inflammation, rises long before Alzheimer’s symptoms appear. Researchers tracked the protein in genetically engineered mice and ...

New Pill Could Finally Control Stubborn High Blood Pressure

Oct. 8, 2025 A new pill called baxdrostat may offer hope for people whose blood pressure stays high even after taking standard medications. In a recent study, the drug lowered blood pressure and also seemed to ...

Common Painkillers Like Advil and Tylenol Supercharge Antibiotic Resistance

Aug. 26, 2025 Painkillers we often trust — ibuprofen and acetaminophen — may be quietly accelerating one of the world’s greatest health crises: antibiotic resistance. Researchers discovered that these drugs ...

Is Ketamine the Answer for Chronic Pain? New Findings Cast Doubt

Aug. 18, 2025 A sweeping review of 67 trials has cast doubt on the use of ketamine and similar NMDA receptor antagonists for chronic pain relief. While ketamine is frequently prescribed off-label for conditions ...

Your Nose Could Detect Alzheimer’s Years Before Memory Loss

Sep. 1, 2025 Researchers have uncovered why smell often fades early in Alzheimer’s: the brain’s immune cells dismantle key nerve connections between the olfactory bulb and brainstem. Membrane changes in ...

Scientists Reversed Memory Loss by Powering the Brain’s Tiny Engines

Aug. 12, 2025 Scientists have discovered a direct cause-and-effect link between faulty mitochondria and the memory loss seen in neurodegenerative diseases. By creating a novel tool to boost mitochondrial activity ...

New “evolution Engine” Creates Super-Proteins 100,000x Faster

Aug. 8, 2025 Researchers at Scripps have created T7-ORACLE, a powerful new tool that speeds up evolution, allowing scientists to design and improve proteins thousands of times faster than nature. Using engineered ...

Lithium Deficiency May Be the Hidden Spark Behind Alzheimer’s

Aug. 29, 2025 Harvard scientists have uncovered that lithium, a naturally occurring element in the brain, may be the missing piece in understanding Alzheimer’s. Their decade-long research shows that lithium ...