Scientists Hunt Genetic Cause of ALS

U.S. scientists have conducted the first genome-wide search for the genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

The Johns Hopkins University researchers say they identified 34 new unique variations in the human genetic code among 276 unrelated subjects with ALS.

The medical investigators said the 34 so-called single nucleotide polymorphisms represent good candidate genes predisposing people to the non-inherited form of the fatal neurodegenerative disease.

Although we haven’t located the exact gene responsible for sporadic ALS, our results seriously narrow the search and bring us that much closer to finding what we need to start developing treatments for the disease, said Dr. Bryan Traynor.

ALS kills 10,000 Americans each year, with an estimated one in 2,000 people at risk of developing the disease.

Genes behind inherited forms of ALS — responsible for about 5 percent of all cases — were discovered a decade ago but no genetic roots have previously been found for sporadic ALS, which occurs in people without a family history of the disease.

The Johns Hopkins research is described in the online version of the journal Lancet Neurology.