Archana writes on science

  Prof. Stephen Hawking. Image Credits: Getty Images Who can forget the sight of Professor Stephen Hawking hunched in his wheel chair with hands on his lap and speaking through a speech-generating device? Professor Hawking suffered from a type of Motor Neuron Disease (MND) called the Amyotrophic Lateral Schlerosis (ALS), also known as the Lou Gehrig’s disease. It is a progressive disease resulting from the loss of neurons controlling voluntary muscles that produce movement such as talking, moving, and eating.  Currently, there is no cure for ALS or treatment for halting the progression of the disease. The patient has 3-4 years at most from the time of diagnosis (Stephen Hawking was an exception). Approximately fifteen thousand Americans die each year from the disease.  More men are afflicted than women and the incidence of ALS increases after the age of 55. What we know about ALS?  Unfortunately, not much T here are a number of studies, clinical and non-clinical, on AL