Key gene behind hallmark of Lou Gehrig's disease identified

Researchers have pinpointed a key gene behind the formation of a toxic protein in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. As the proteins amass in the debilitating neurodegenerative disease, they damage healthy neurons and block cells' ability to function normally. When the gene's activity was depleted in neurons from patients with ALS and in fruit flies, the lethal protein dropped by about 50%.

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