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Long-term hippocampal DBS effectively reduces seizures in experimental models

The results of the first reported study of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in an animal model for temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) presented today at the American Epilepsy Society (AES) 66th Annual Meeting suggests that DBS may have potential as therapy for this common and often difficult to treat form of epilepsy.

2 Dec 2012

LP-211 compound shows promise against Fragile X syndrome

A potential new therapeutic strategy for treating Fragile X syndrome is detailed in a new report appearing in the current issue of Biological Psychiatry, from researchers led by Dr. Lucia Ciranna at University of Catania in Italy.

29 Nov 2012

SLU study to use various assays for new TB vaccine development

A pilot study at Saint Louis University Center for Vaccine Development could shape the future of tuberculosis vaccine research by developing tests to identify the most promising vaccine candidates to address this global health crisis.

29 Nov 2012

Carnosic acid promotes eye health

Herbs widely used throughout history in Asian and early European cultures have received renewed attention by Western medicine in recent years. Scientists are now isolating the active compounds in many medicinal herbs and documenting their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. In a study published in the journal Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, Stuart A. Lipton, M.D., Ph.D. and colleagues at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) report that carnosic acid, a component of the herb rosemary, promotes eye health.

28 Nov 2012

High-resolution real-time images show how nerves may be damaged during earliest stages of MS

High-resolution real-time images show in mice how nerves may be damaged during the earliest stages of multiple sclerosis. The results suggest that the critical step happens when fibrinogen, a blood-clotting protein, leaks into the central nervous system and activates immune cells called microglia.

28 Nov 2012

Microneedle-based measles vaccine can immunize against measles

Measles vaccine given with painless and easy-to-administer microneedle patches can immunize against measles at least as well as vaccine given with conventional hypodermic needles, according to research done by the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

28 Nov 2012

Inovio's SynCon DNA vaccine effective at inducing CD8+ T cell responses specific to CMV

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that testing of multiple synthetic vaccine constructs for cytomegalovirus (CMV) induced robust T cells in mice, demonstrating the potential for a SynCon DNA vaccine to treat this virus that causes infant death and congenital abnormalities, is associated with cerebral palsy and brain tumors, and is the most common viral infection in organ transplant recipients. CMV is also associated with numerous inflammatory diseases and cancers, and is implicated in hypertension, a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.

26 Nov 2012

Cancer-killing viruses found safe but less effective than expected

Doctors now use cancer-killing viruses to treat some patients with lethal, fast-growing brain tumors. Clinical trials show that these therapeutic viruses are safe but less effective than expected.

26 Nov 2012

mRNA vaccines offer protection against influenza A virus infections in various animal models

CureVac GmbH, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of therapies and vaccines based on mRNA, and the German Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute (FLI), Germany, today announced that mRNA vaccines (RNActive) based on the company's RNA technology platform have the potential to provide effective protection against infectious diseases.

26 Nov 2012

Study: 2-PMPA improves cognition in mice with MS

Johns Hopkins researchers report the successful use of a form of MRI to identify what appears to be a key biochemical marker for cognitive impairment in the brains of people with multiple sclerosis (MS). In follow-up experiments on mice with a rodent form of MS, researchers were able to use an experimental compound to manipulate that same marker and dramatically improve learning and memory.

21 Nov 2012

CLR01 effectively inhibits synaptotoxicity in mice with Alzheimer's

Last March, researchers at UCLA reported the development of a molecular compound called CLR01 that prevented toxic proteins associated with Parkinson's disease from binding together and killing the brain's neurons.

16 Nov 2012

In utero exposure to BPA associated with decreased thyroid function in newborn sheep

In utero exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) can be associated with decreased thyroid function in newborn sheep, according to a recent study accepted for publication in Endocrinology, a journal of The Endocrine Society. Hypothyroidism is characterized by poor mental and physical performance in human adults and in children can result in cognitive impairment and failure to grow normally.

15 Nov 2012

Irregular sleep patterns may trigger schizophrenia symptoms

Neuroscientists studying the link between poor sleep and schizophrenia have found that irregular sleep patterns and desynchronised brain activity during sleep could trigger some of the disease's symptoms. The findings, published in the journal Neuron, suggest that these prolonged disturbances might be a cause and not just a consequence of the disorder's debilitating effects.

15 Nov 2012

Inactivating beta2 subunit of nicotinic receptors may help smokers quit without feeling anxious

Preclinical data suggests inactivation of a specific sub-class of nicotinic receptors may be an effective strategy to help smokers quit without feeling anxious, according to Virginia Commonwealth University researchers.

9 Nov 2012

FDA grants Albireo's A4250 orphan-drug designation for treatment of PFIC and PBC

Albireo AB, a biopharmaceutical company specializing in gastroenterology, today announced that A4250 (an inhibitor of the ileal bile acid transporter, IBAT/ASBT) has been granted orphan-drug designation by the U.S Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of Progressive Familial Intrahepatic Cholestasis (PFIC) and Primary Biliary Cirrhosis (PBC).

8 Nov 2012

New UTSW model can predict progression of skin cancer in patients

UT Southwestern Medical Center scientists led by Dr. Sean Morrison, director of the Children's Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern, have developed an innovative model for predicting the progression of skin cancer in patients.

8 Nov 2012

Taiho Pharmaceutical announces early stage data for eight novel oncology compounds

Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., the developer of the first orally available fluorouracil (FU) Chemotherapeutic treatment (TS-1/S-1), is presenting early stage data for eight novel oncology compounds, including potential first-in-class therapies.

7 Nov 2012

Alnylam third quarter 2012 revenues decrease to $16.8 million

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, today reported its consolidated financial results for the third quarter 2012, and company highlights.

6 Nov 2012

Adding angiogenesis inhibitor to anti-HER2 drugs extends survival in mice with breast cancer

Adding an angiogenesis inhibitor to treatment with a HER2-inhibiting drug could improve outcomes for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer who develop brain metastases. In their report published online in PNAS Plus, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators report the first preclinical study combining antiangiogenic and anti-HER2 drugs in an animal model of brain metastatic breast cancer.

3 Nov 2012

Researchers unlock complex cellular mechanics that instruct glial progenitor cells to divide

In a new study appearing this month in the Journal of Neuroscience, researchers have unlocked the complex cellular mechanics that instruct specific brain cells to continue to divide. This discovery overcomes a significant technical hurdle to potential human stem cell therapies; ensuring that an abundant supply of cells is available to study and ultimately treat people with diseases.

2 Nov 2012

Animal Model News and Research

Long-term hippocampal DBS effectively reduces seizures in experimental models

LP-211 compound shows promise against Fragile X syndrome

SLU study to use various assays for new TB vaccine development

Carnosic acid promotes eye health

High-resolution real-time images show how nerves may be damaged during earliest stages of MS

Microneedle-based measles vaccine can immunize against measles

Inovio's SynCon DNA vaccine effective at inducing CD8+ T cell responses specific to CMV

Cancer-killing viruses found safe but less effective than expected

mRNA vaccines offer protection against influenza A virus infections in various animal models

Study: 2-PMPA improves cognition in mice with MS

CLR01 effectively inhibits synaptotoxicity in mice with Alzheimer's

In utero exposure to BPA associated with decreased thyroid function in newborn sheep

Irregular sleep patterns may trigger schizophrenia symptoms

Inactivating beta2 subunit of nicotinic receptors may help smokers quit without feeling anxious

FDA grants Albireo's A4250 orphan-drug designation for treatment of PFIC and PBC

New UTSW model can predict progression of skin cancer in patients

Taiho Pharmaceutical announces early stage data for eight novel oncology compounds

Alnylam third quarter 2012 revenues decrease to $16.8 million

Adding angiogenesis inhibitor to anti-HER2 drugs extends survival in mice with breast cancer

Researchers unlock complex cellular mechanics that instruct glial progenitor cells to divide

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

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