BioCentury
ARTICLE | Targets & Mechanisms

A cultured approach to ALS therapy

August 28, 2014 7:00 AM UTC

Although dysfunctional glial cells have long been implicated in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis progression, the precise mechanisms by which they contribute to the disease have remained poorly defined. Now, Harvard University researchers have identified a specific therapeutic target on glial cells-prostaglandin D2 receptor subtype DP1-and shown that reducing its expression can modestly prolong survival in a mouse model of the disease.1

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects upper and lower motor neurons. This results in a range of symptoms that include muscle weakness and spasticity, loss of muscle function and difficulty in speaking, swallowing and breathing...