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The human brain is the center of the human nervous system and is a highly complex organ. Enclosed in the cranium, it has the same general structure as the brains of other mammals, but is over three times as large as the brain of a typical mammal with an equivalent body size.

Invitae announces dramatic expansion of genetic testing menu

Invitae Corporation (NYSE: NVTA), a genetic information company, has announced that it has more than doubled the size of its genetic testing platform to include more than 600 genes and will begin releasing the new content between now and the end of the year. Invitae is immediately expanding its menu with dozens of new test panels for hereditary cancer, cardiovascular, neuromuscular, pediatric and other rare disorders.

7 Oct 2015

Texas Center for Proton Therapy lures top proton talent as Dallas center nears opening

Texas Center for Proton Therapy has announced the hiring of three dedicated radiation oncologists with experience in radiation oncology and proton beam cancer treatment, completing the center’s key medical staff.

7 Oct 2015

MPFI scientist receives NIH's Pioneer Award

Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience Scientific Director, Ryohei Yasuda, has received the National Institute of Health's Pioneer Award, which recognizes scientists who have demonstrated creativity and groundbreaking approaches in biomedical or behavioral science.

7 Oct 2015

MIT researchers developing computer system to help predict effects of disease on brain anatomy

MIT researchers are developing a computer system that uses genetic, demographic, and clinical data to help predict the effects of disease on brain anatomy.

7 Oct 2015

Brain metastases evolve ‘clinically actionable’ mutations

Brain metastatic disease shows branched evolution from the primary tumour, suggest preliminary findings from the largest massively parallel sequencing study of paired samples performed so far.

7 Oct 2015

Innovative service model leads to better results for patients with advanced cancer

An innovative service model that partners radiation oncology with palliative care leads to better results for patients, according to a new analysis. The model of care, established at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, is one of only a handful in the country. The study will be presented at the upcoming 2015 Palliative Care in Oncology Symposium in Boston.

7 Oct 2015

Researchers use brain scans to reveal mechanisms behind cognitive control of thoughts

How does the brain determine which direction to let its thoughts fly? Looking for the mechanisms behind cognitive control of thought, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, University of California and United States Army Research Laboratory have used brain scans to shed new light on this question.

7 Oct 2015

New book highlights sophisticated neurogenic processes in adult mammalian brain

In discrete locations of the adult brain, new neurons are born from stem cells that differentiate, migrate, and integrate into the existing neural network. This process is implicated in normal brain functions such as memory formation and is disrupted in many disease states, including Alzheimer's, schizophrenia, and depression.

7 Oct 2015

Rabbit virus can be paired with existing drug to deliver more potent punch to brain tumor cells

A rabbit virus currently being developed for cancer therapy can be paired with one of several existing drugs to deliver a more potent punch to a deadly type of brain tumor cell, researchers have found.

7 Oct 2015

NIH researchers discover why certain immune responses can be harmful to the brain

National Institutes of Health scientists studying inflammation of the brain have discovered why certain immune responses, which typically help cells recognize and fight viral and bacterial infections, can sometimes be harmful to the brain. Many brain disorders involve the death of neurons, or nerve cells, but how these neurons die is not well understood.

7 Oct 2015

Mayo Clinic researchers awarded NIH grant to develop intelligent devices to track and treat epilepsy

Researchers at Mayo Clinic were awarded a $6.8 million, five-year federal grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop intelligent devices to track and treat abnormal brain activity in people with epilepsy. The grant, part of a presidential initiative aimed at revolutionizing the understanding of the human brain, is called Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies or the BRAIN Initiative.

7 Oct 2015

General public has limited knowledge of dementia and Alzheimer's Disease

Believing that dementia is a normal part of aging is the most common misconception about dementia, according to a new study conducted by researchers at Trinity College Dublin and St James's Hospital's Dementia Services Centre in Ireland.

7 Oct 2015

Mutation that increases sphingolipid levels can lead to neurodegeneration

A mutation that increases the level of a special class of sphingolipids--molecules important to cell structure and signaling--can lead to neurodegeneration due to problems with neuronal membranes, reports a research team led by Jackson Laboratory Research Scientist Lihong Zhao, Ph.D. and Professor Patsy Nishina, Ph.D.

7 Oct 2015

Michigan researchers use Raman spectroscopy to study various childhood diseases

Renishaw, a world leader in metrology and spectroscopy, reports on the use of its inVia confocal Raman microscope in the study of various diseases–with a major focus on childhood diseases–at the Children's Hospital of Michigan and Wayne State University.

6 Oct 2015

Training ASD individuals by repetition actually harms learning ability

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) sometimes acquire a new behavior or skill only in a specific context, but they have difficulty transferring that learned skill or information to a new context.

6 Oct 2015

New flame retardant created to replace commercial additives that are often toxic

Inspired by a naturally occurring material found in marine mussels, researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have created a new flame retardant to replace commercial additives that are often toxic and can accumulate over time in the environment and living animals, including humans.

6 Oct 2015

Birth weight associated with poor hearing, vision and cognition in middle age

A study of up to 433,390 UK adults, led by The University of Manchester, has linked being under and overweight at birth with poorer hearing, vision and cognition in middle age.

6 Oct 2015

IU-led scientists discover new gene that increases Alzheimer's disease risk

In a newly published study, a multi-institutional team led by scientists at the Indiana University School of Medicine have discovered an immune system gene associated with higher rates of amyloid plaque buildup in the brains of Alzheimer's patients and older adults at risk for the disease.

6 Oct 2015

NIH-funded researchers test new gene therapy to improve visual function in mice

Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have developed a novel mouse model for the vision disorder Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON), and found that they can use gene therapy to improve visual function in the mice. LHON is one of many diseases tied to gene mutations that damage the tiny energy factories that power our cells, called mitochondria.

6 Oct 2015

Sonic hedgehog gene maintains normal physiological state and repair process of adult lungs

The whimsically named sonic hedgehog gene, best known for controlling embryonic development, also maintains the normal physiological state and repair process of an adult healthy lung, if damaged, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania published online this week in Nature in advance of the print edition.

6 Oct 2015

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Invitae announces dramatic expansion of genetic testing menu

Texas Center for Proton Therapy lures top proton talent as Dallas center nears opening

MPFI scientist receives NIH's Pioneer Award

MIT researchers developing computer system to help predict effects of disease on brain anatomy

Brain metastases evolve ‘clinically actionable’ mutations

Innovative service model leads to better results for patients with advanced cancer

Researchers use brain scans to reveal mechanisms behind cognitive control of thoughts

New book highlights sophisticated neurogenic processes in adult mammalian brain

Rabbit virus can be paired with existing drug to deliver more potent punch to brain tumor cells

NIH researchers discover why certain immune responses can be harmful to the brain

Mayo Clinic researchers awarded NIH grant to develop intelligent devices to track and treat epilepsy

General public has limited knowledge of dementia and Alzheimer's Disease

Mutation that increases sphingolipid levels can lead to neurodegeneration

Michigan researchers use Raman spectroscopy to study various childhood diseases

Training ASD individuals by repetition actually harms learning ability

New flame retardant created to replace commercial additives that are often toxic

Birth weight associated with poor hearing, vision and cognition in middle age

IU-led scientists discover new gene that increases Alzheimer's disease risk

NIH-funded researchers test new gene therapy to improve visual function in mice

Sonic hedgehog gene maintains normal physiological state and repair process of adult lungs

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st Edition) 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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