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Research Advances in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, 2009 to 2010

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Abstract

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease of upper and lower motor neurons that causes progressive weakness and death. The breadth of research in ALS continues to grow with exciting new discoveries in disease pathogenesis and potential future therapeutics. There is a growing list of identified mutations in familial ALS, including those in genes encoding TDP-43 and FUS/TLS, which are expanding our understanding of the role of RNA modulation in ALS pathogenesis. There is a greater appreciation for the role of glial cells in motor neuron disease. Mitochondrial dysfunction is also being shown to be critical for motor neuron degeneration. In addition to pharmacotherapy, there are promising early developments with therapeutic implications in the areas of RNA interference, stem cell therapies, viral vector—mediated gene therapy, and immunotherapy. With greater understanding of ALS pathogenesis and exciting new therapeutic technologies, there is hope for future progress in treating this disease.

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Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance

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Conflicts of interest

R. Traub: none; H. Mitsumoto: has received honoraria from Sanofi-Aventis, and has grants pending with Avanir, Knopp, and Teva (clinical trials); L.P. Rowland: has received honoraria from lectures, and receives royalties from Merritt's Neurology and for The Legacy of Tracy J. Putnam and H. Houston Merritt. He was paid as the Founding Editor of Neurology Today and as Editor in Chief of Neurology Today (from the American Academy of Neurology) from 2000 to 2009. He volunteers as President of Parkinson’s Disease Foundation.

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  1. Eleanor and Lou Gehrig MDA/ALS Research Center, Neurological Institute, Columbia University Medical Center, 710 West 168th Street, New York, NY, 10032, USA

    Rebecca Traub, Hiroshi Mitsumoto & Lewis P. Rowland

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  1. Rebecca Traub
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  2. Hiroshi Mitsumoto
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  3. Lewis P. Rowland
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Correspondence to Rebecca Traub.

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Traub, R., Mitsumoto, H. & Rowland, L.P. Research Advances in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, 2009 to 2010. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep 11, 67–77 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11910-010-0160-0

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