For the first time, hopes are raised that the devastating and fatal nerve-cell-wasting

disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may be treatable, following a recently

published review of 11 independent animal studies of the disease. The accumulated
evidence shows it may be possible to slow down the disease and extend quality and
length of life of patients with ALS.
A summary of all 11 studies, plus the results of the meta-analysis of their pooled data, can
be found in a paper published in the 19 December online issue of the journal Science
Translational Medicine.
Co-lead author of the paper Yang (Ted) Teng is a Harvard Medical School (HMS) associate
professor of surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, in the
US. He and his colleagues believe the key to treating ALS lies in targeting new
mechanisms uncovered by studies into neural stem cells.
Their review takes in a decade of research from several institutions. As well as Brigham and
Women's, it covers results from studies conducted at Johns Hopkins University, the VA
Boston Healthcare System, Boston Children's Hospital, Sanford-Burnham Medical
Research Institute, UMass Medical School, SUNY-Syracuse, and Columbia University.
Teng says in an HMS statement released last week:
"This significant research will help us better understand the mechanisms underlying motor
neuron diseases."

ALS and Neural Stem Cells

In ALS, also known as motor neuron disease or Lou Gehrig's disease, the nerve cells in
the spinal cord die, gradually causing the person to lose their ability to move and eventually,
breathe.
Neural stem cells are the precursors of all brain cells. They can self-renew, make more
neural stem cells and differentiate into nerve cells or other brain cells. They can also rescue
nerve cells that don't work properly and help preserve and regenerate brain tissue.

What the Evidence Shows

The accumulation of evidence that Teng and colleagues reviewed shows that transplanting
neural stem cells (both mouse and human) into various levels in the spinal cords of mice
bred to have familial ALS, slowed the disease down, and improved motor function and
breathing. Also, 25% of the treated mice lived three to four times longer than untreated
mice.

Teng says:
"This work sheds new light on detrimental roles played by non-neuronal cells in triggering
motor neuron death, and these events should be targeted for developing more effective
therapeutics to treat ALS."