Neurodegenerative Diseases News and Research

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Missing link between over-stimulation and destruction of brain tissue identified

In many neurodegenerative diseases the neurons of the brain are over-stimulated and this leads to their destruction. After many failed attempts and much scepticism this process was finally shown last year to be a possible basis for treatment in some patients with stroke. But very few targets for drugs to block this process are known.

9 May 2013

TRACK-HD study: A set of tests could help identify progression of Huntington's disease

Scientists have identified a set of tests that could help identify whether and how Huntington's disease is progressing in groups of people who are not yet showing symptoms.

9 May 2013

New gene implicated in Parkinson can delay onset of aging, extend life span

UCLA life scientists have identified a gene previously implicated in Parkinson's disease that can delay the onset of aging and extend the healthy life span of fruit flies. The research, they say, could have important implications for aging and disease in humans.

7 May 2013

Kinase inhibitors: an interview with Jan Hoflack, CSO of Oncodesign

Kinase inhibitors are molecules that block the activity of kinases. Kinases are a specific class of enzymes. They are extremely important in signal transduction processes in the human body meaning that they actually regulate most of the physiological processes that take place in the body.

7 May 2013

NeuroPhage Pharmaceuticals raises $6.4 million in private equity financing round

NeuroPhage Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a company developing breakthrough therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, today announced that it raised $6.4 million in a private equity financing round.

6 May 2013

Researchers identify how a defective protein plays central role in Giant Axonal Neuropathy

A team of international researchers led by Northwestern Medicine scientists has identified how a defective protein plays a central role in a rare, lethal childhood disease known as Giant Axonal Neuropathy, or GAN.

29 Apr 2013

Researchers create "designer" tracer for earlier diagnosis and better treatments of Alzheimer's

One of the biggest challenges with Alzheimer's disease (AD) is that by the time physicians can detect behavioral changes, the disease has already begun its irreversibly destructive course.

26 Apr 2013

Research reveals that molecular madness goes on in the brain after blast exposure

A multicenter study led by scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine shows that mild traumatic brain injury after blast exposure produces inflammation, oxidative stress and gene activation patterns akin to disorders of memory processing such as Alzheimer's disease.

25 Apr 2013

Isis Pharmaceuticals starts ISIS-SMNRx Phase 2 study in infants with SMA

Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced the initiation of a Phase 2 study of ISIS-SMNRx in infants with spinal muscular atrophy. SMA is a severe and rare genetic neuromuscular disease characterized by muscle atrophy and weakness and is the most common genetic cause of infant mortality.

24 Apr 2013

Animal models of Huntington's disease allow better insights into disease's genetics

Scientific progress in Huntington's disease (HD) relies upon the availability of appropriate animal models that enable insights into the disease's genetics and/or pathophysiology.

23 Apr 2013

Researchers win Jacob Heskel Gabbay Award in Biotechnology and Medicine

Karl Deisseroth of Stanford University, Gero Miesenb-ck of the University of Oxford and Edward S. Boyden of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have been awarded Brandeis University's 16th Annual Jacob Heskel Gabbay Award in Biotechnology and Medicine.

22 Apr 2013

Ceregene announces top-line data from CERE-12 Phase 2b clinical study for Parkinson's disease

Ceregene, Inc. today announced the top-line data from its double-blind, randomized, controlled Phase 2b clinical study of CERE-120 (AAV-neurturin), a gene therapy product designed to deliver the neurotrophic factor neurturin, for Parkinson's disease.

20 Apr 2013

Unique modification to microtubules makes nerve cells' cytoskeleton singularly robust

How do nerve cells -- which can each be up to three feet long in humans -- keep from rupturing or falling apart?

16 Apr 2013

NCRI, Prize4Life recognized with Bio-IT World's Best Practices Award for creating PRO-ACT platform

The Massachusetts General Hospital Neurological Clinical Research Institute and Prize4Life, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to accelerate the discovery of treatments and a cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, received a Best Practices Award at the 2013 Bio-IT World Conference & Expo.

15 Apr 2013

Cocoa polyphenols triggers neuroprotection by activating BDNF survival pathway

Epidemiological studies have indicated that dietary habits and antioxidants from diet can influence the incidence of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.

15 Apr 2013

Many HDLS patients still incorrectly diagnosed

The very serious hereditary disease HDLS was discovered in 1984 in Sweden. Many HDLS patients are still incorrectly diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, MS or Parkinson's disease, but researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have now developed a more certain diagnosis method - and are seeking to find a treatment for the "unknown" neurological disorder.

11 Apr 2013

Research: ACOT7 enzyme keeps neurons' fat levels under control

We're all fatheads. That is, our brain cells are packed with fat molecules, more of them than almost any other cell type. Still, if the brain cells' fat content gets too high, they'll be in trouble. In a recent study in mice, researchers at Johns Hopkins pinpointed an enzyme that keeps neurons' fat levels under control, and may be implicated in human neurological diseases.

9 Apr 2013

Researchers discover that fruit fly mutation holds clues for treating motor neuron diseases

A team of researchers, led by Marc Freeman, PhD, an early career scientist with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and associate professor of neurobiology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School have discovered a gene in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster that, when mutant, blocks the self-destruction of damaged axons, which could hold clues to treating motor neuron diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

9 Apr 2013

Transposons increase in abundance and activity in brains as they age

As the body ages, the physical effects are notable; wrinkles in the skin appear, physical exertion becomes harder. But there are also less visible processes going on. Inside aging brains there is another phenomenon at work, which may contribute to age-related brain defects.

9 Apr 2013

TSRI scientists identify new drugs for human prion disease

Human diseases caused by misfolded proteins known as prions are some of most rare yet terrifying on the planet—incurable with disturbing symptoms that include dementia, personality shifts, hallucinations and coordination problems.

4 Apr 2013

Neurodegenerative Diseases News and Research

Missing link between over-stimulation and destruction of brain tissue identified

TRACK-HD study: A set of tests could help identify progression of Huntington's disease

New gene implicated in Parkinson can delay onset of aging, extend life span

Kinase inhibitors: an interview with Jan Hoflack, CSO of Oncodesign

NeuroPhage Pharmaceuticals raises $6.4 million in private equity financing round

Researchers identify how a defective protein plays central role in Giant Axonal Neuropathy

Researchers create "designer" tracer for earlier diagnosis and better treatments of Alzheimer's

Research reveals that molecular madness goes on in the brain after blast exposure

Isis Pharmaceuticals starts ISIS-SMNRx Phase 2 study in infants with SMA

Animal models of Huntington's disease allow better insights into disease's genetics

Researchers win Jacob Heskel Gabbay Award in Biotechnology and Medicine

Ceregene announces top-line data from CERE-12 Phase 2b clinical study for Parkinson's disease

Unique modification to microtubules makes nerve cells' cytoskeleton singularly robust

NCRI, Prize4Life recognized with Bio-IT World's Best Practices Award for creating PRO-ACT platform

Cocoa polyphenols triggers neuroprotection by activating BDNF survival pathway

Many HDLS patients still incorrectly diagnosed

Research: ACOT7 enzyme keeps neurons' fat levels under control

Researchers discover that fruit fly mutation holds clues for treating motor neuron diseases

Transposons increase in abundance and activity in brains as they age

TSRI scientists identify new drugs for human prion disease

eBook: Using iPSCs models for human disease research and drug discovery eBook

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

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