(February 26, 2009) - In one of the most significant breakthroughs in
the recent history of ALS research, a consortium of scientists
organized and funded by The ALS Association has discovered a new
gene, ALS6 (Fused in Sarcoma), responsible for about 5 percent of the
cases of inherited ALS. The discovery will provide important clues to
the causes of inherited ALS, which accounts for 10 percent of all
cases, and sporadic ALS, which occurs in individuals with no family
history of the disease and accounts for the other 90 percent of cases
diagnosed.

"This is a momentous discovery in furthering our understanding of
ALS," said Lucie Bruijn, Ph.D., senior vice president of Research and
Development at The ALS Association. "A new gene provides a new piece
of the puzzle we can use to shed light on why ALS develops, and where
to focus our efforts on creating new treatments and finding a cure."

The results of this groundbreaking research are published in the
Friday, February 27 issue of the prestigious journal Science. The
project was led by Tom Kwiatkowski M.D., Ph.D., at Massachusetts
General Hospital, and Robert Brown, M.D., of the University of
Massachusetts School of Medicine, and ALS Association-funded
researchers Caroline Vance, Ph.D., and Christopher Shaw, M.D., of
Kings College in London. The project was supported by a consortium of
leading ALS researchers from around the world, formed as part of The
Association's Gene Identification Project. Their success reflects an
unprecedented effort to accelerate the search for genetic mutations
linked to all forms of ALS.

For more, pls visit:
http://web.alsa.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Breaking_News

Cheers.
Gaurav...