Neurodegeneration News and Research

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Neurodegeneration is the umbrella term for the progressive loss of structure or function of neurons, including death of neurons.

Scientists create infectious prion disease in mouse model

A worldwide group of scientists has created an infectious prion disease in a mouse model, in a step that may help unravel the mystery of this progressive disease that affects the nervous system in humans and animals.

8 Dec 2008

Nitric oxide can change computational ability of the brain

Research from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Toxicology Unit at the University of Leicester shows that nitric oxide (NO) can change the computational ability of the brain.

26 Nov 2008

Fruit flies provide new insights into a brain-damaging disease mucolipidosis type IV

Johns Hopkins researchers have used fruit flies to gain new insights into a brain-damaging disorder afflicting children.

26 Nov 2008

Researchers reduce production of alpha-synuclein in the brain - offers hope for Parkinson's disease

Mayo Clinic researchers have developed a method to reduce the production of alpha-synuclein in the brain.

17 Nov 2008

Researchers uncover beneficial mechanism of the helpful "Dr. Jekyll" side of the Cdk5 protein

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have uncovered new insights into the "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" nature of a protein that stimulates stem-cell maturation in the brain but, paradoxically, can also lead to nerve-cell damage.

12 Nov 2008

Protein can nurture or devastate brain cells, depending on its 'friends,' UT Southwestern researchers find

11 Nov 2008

Newborn neurons in the adult brain can settle in the wrong neighborhood

In a study that could have significant consequences for neural tissue transplantation strategies, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies report that inactivating a specific gene in adult neural stem cells makes nerve cells emerging from those precursors form connections in the wrong part of the adult brain.

11 Nov 2008

Johns Hopkins researchers detect sweet cacophany while listening to cellular cross-talk

Johns Hopkins scientists were dubious in the early 1980s when they stumbled on small sugar molecules lurking in the centers of cells; not only were they not supposed to be there, but they certainly weren't supposed to be repeatedly attaching to and detaching from proteins, effectively switching them on and off.

20 Oct 2008

New drug might make tumor cells more sensitive to therapy

Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have shown that it might be possible to make tumor cells more sensitive to irradiation and some types of chemotherapy by treating them with a drug that cripples their ability to repair DNA damage caused by these therapies.

16 Sep 2008

Vitamin B deficiency may cause vascular cognitive impairment

A deficiency of B-vitamins may cause vascular cognitive impairment, according to a new study. Researchers at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) at Tufts University used an experimental model to examine the metabolic, cognitive, and microvascular effects of dietary B-vitamin deficiency.

2 Sep 2008

VioQuest Pharmaceuticals issued new U.S. patent for Lenocta

VioQuest Pharmaceuticals today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued the first patent for the company's investigational product candidate Lenocta (sodium stibogluconate). U.S. Patent No. 7,416,723 entitled "Therapeutic compositions and methods useful in modulating protein tyrosine phosphatases," encompasses novel compositions including Lenocta for the treatment of cancer and a broad range of other diseases.

26 Aug 2008

New therapeutic approaches to protect neurons from inflammation and toxicity-induced neurodegeneration

New research led by Chu Chen, PhD, Associate Professor of Neuroscience at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, provides evidence that one of the only naturally occurring fatty acids in the brain that has the ability to interact with the receptors originally identified as the targets of THC (the psychoactive component of marijuana) can help to protect brain cells from neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

20 Aug 2008

Brain trick offers treatment hope for Alzheimer's

Scientists in the UK and Canada have made a significant step forward in the search for new drugs to treat Alzheimer's disease.

2 Jul 2008

Alzheimer's and Parkinson's under the microscope

A detailed discussion by top researches in the field into current Alzheimer's and Parkinson's research features as article of the month in the prestigious journal, Nature Reviews Neuroscience.

24 Jun 2008

New insight into the genetics of Lou Gehrig's disease

An upcoming paper from Drs. Hidenori Ichijo and Hideki Nishitoh (The University of Tokyo) and colleagues lends new and valuable insight into the genetics of ALS.

1 Jun 2008

RNA toxicity contributes to neurodegenerative disease

Expanding on prior research performed at the University of Pennsylvania, Penn biologists have determined that faulty RNA, the blueprint that creates mutated, toxic proteins, contributes to a family of neurodegenerative disorders in humans.

27 May 2008

Intracellular antibody mops up mutant protein in Huntington's disease model

Scientists have created a tool for mopping up the clumps of mutant protein that drive neurodegeneration in Huntington's disease. Emory University researchers engineered a virus to make an intracellular antibody or "intrabody" against huntingtin, the protein whose mutant forms poison the brain cells of people with Huntington's.

26 May 2008

RNA toxicity contributes to neurodegenerative disease

21 May 2008

Discovery of mechanism of action of antibiotic able to reduce neuronal cell death in brain

Virginia Commonwealth University researchers have discovered how an antibiotic works to modulate the activity of a neurotransmitter that regulates brain functions, which eventually could lead to therapies to treat Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, epilepsy, stroke, dementia and malignant gliomas.

11 May 2008

Prana Biotechnology has discovered novel drug candidates for use in Parkinson's disease

Prana Biotechnology Limited has announced that it has identified novel therapeutic drug candidates from its Parkinson's disease program. Already, a lead candidate drug has demonstrated positive effects in pre-clinical studies, protecting the brain from damage to the substantia nigra, the area of the brain affected in Parkinson's disease.

6 May 2008

Neurodegeneration News and Research

Further Reading

Scientists create infectious prion disease in mouse model

Nitric oxide can change computational ability of the brain

Fruit flies provide new insights into a brain-damaging disease mucolipidosis type IV

Researchers reduce production of alpha-synuclein in the brain - offers hope for Parkinson's disease

Researchers uncover beneficial mechanism of the helpful "Dr. Jekyll" side of the Cdk5 protein

Protein can nurture or devastate brain cells, depending on its 'friends,' UT Southwestern researchers find

Newborn neurons in the adult brain can settle in the wrong neighborhood

Johns Hopkins researchers detect sweet cacophany while listening to cellular cross-talk

New drug might make tumor cells more sensitive to therapy

Vitamin B deficiency may cause vascular cognitive impairment

VioQuest Pharmaceuticals issued new U.S. patent for Lenocta

New therapeutic approaches to protect neurons from inflammation and toxicity-induced neurodegeneration

Brain trick offers treatment hope for Alzheimer's

Alzheimer's and Parkinson's under the microscope

New insight into the genetics of Lou Gehrig's disease

RNA toxicity contributes to neurodegenerative disease

Intracellular antibody mops up mutant protein in Huntington's disease model

RNA toxicity contributes to neurodegenerative disease

Discovery of mechanism of action of antibiotic able to reduce neuronal cell death in brain

Prana Biotechnology has discovered novel drug candidates for use in Parkinson's disease

Human iPSCs: A Full Guide to Advanced in Vitro Models and Applications eBook

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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