You don’t need us to tell you that 2020 has thrown everyone and everything for a loop. A few months into the year, we all found ourselves having to adapt very quickly to mitigate the unknowns of the COVID-19 pandemic. For ALS Canada, that meant cancelling the 2020 edition of our annual ALS Canada Research […]
Power in Numbers
Updated October 17, 2018 The first ALS gene was discovered over two decades ago. By the end of 2017, scientists had found more than 25 genes. By studying these genes that are involved in familial ALS, which accounts for 5 to 10 per cent of ALS cases, researchers hope to learn more about the 90 […]
Can environmental impacts on genes explain why ALS affects people differently?
Updated October 17, 2018 Over the last decade, scientists have discovered many genes related to ALS, but there are still many questions about how mutations in those genes spark the development of the disease. The range of onset for ALS is wide: it can occur anytime in adulthood. The disease duration is usually two to […]
New clinical trials for Canadians with ALS
Updated October 17, 2018 The opportunity to be involved in clinical trials for experimental ALS treatments is something that is often on the radar for people who are living with ALS. Did you know that there are three clinical trials in Canada that recently started recruiting volunteers or will open soon? On Wednesday, October 17, […]
Elsa Tremblay – ALS and the Neuromuscular Junction
Updated October 20, 2017 Elsa Tremblay from l’Université de Montréal studies ALS because of a personal connection. Is there anything in particular that drew you to studying ALS? I went into ALS because my father died from ALS, and also my grandmother. So it’s pretty clear that ALS is running in the family…probably a genetic […]
Pimozide: Everything Old is New Again
Updated October 20, 2017 Very early in his medical training, Dr. Lawrence Korngut was introduced to the concept of ALS. “As a neurologist, I have always been very interested in the physical exam and ALS is the perfect example since the diagnosis is made entirely by physical exam,” said Dr. Korngut in an interview with […]
Dr. Christen Shoesmith – ALS Best Practice Recommendations
Updated November 28, 2017 A group of ALS clinicians across the country is developing Best Practice Recommendations to set a common standard of care for Canadians living with ALS. Dr. Christen Shoesmith of the London Health Sciences Centre explains. She will be speaking about the Canadian ALS Best Practice Recommendations at the Virtual Research Forum on […]
From Inquiry to Insight: Dr. Michael Strong
Updated October 20, 2017 Dr. Michael Strong has spent his career as a clinician scientist researching ALS with a determined curiosity and keen attention to new learning in the field. Over the years, people living with ALS and their families have been an ongoing source of inspiration to him. “The toughest thing in life is […]
Skin models for the study of ALS
Updated October 20, 2017 Bastien Paré from l’Université Laval has been studying ALS for more than five years. We spoke with him about his research and the future of ALS in Canada. Can you tell us about your ALS Canada-funded research? I’m quite different from most people that are working on neurons, and trying to understand […]
Learning more about how gene mutations can cause ALS
Updated October 20, 2017 In the late 1980s, Dr. Neil Cashman was completing a neurology fellowship in ALS at the University of Chicago. At that time, little was known about the genetics or biology of ALS and Dr. Cashman became captivated by trying to understand the cause of the progressive paralysis he observed in his […]
Could viruses play a role in the onset or progression of ALS in people with a genetic link?
Updated November 28, 2017 When a person is infected with a virus, it triggers an immune response that generally results in inflammation. For example – think of the sore throat, redness and swelling that occurs when you are sick with tonsillitis. The immune response is designed to rid the body of the pathogens causing the […]
Dr. Richard Bedlack’s Quest for ALS Discovery: The Truth is Out There
Updated October 20, 2017 Dr. Richard Bedlack’s passion for neurology started when he was a child. As many children do, he used to roll down hills with his little brother – but Dr. Bedlack’s inquisitive nature made him wonder why it made them dizzy. His fascination with the nervous system grew over time as he […]