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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.

Quark Pharmaceuticals' QPI-1002 receives orphan drug designation from FDA

Quark Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a world leader in the discovery and development of RNAi-based therapeutics, announced today that the US FDA has granted orphan drug designation for QPI-1002 (also referred to as "I5NP"), a synthetic siRNA targeting p53 mRNA for the prophylaxis of delayed graft function (DGF) in kidney transplant patients.

17 Feb 2010

Embera NeuroTherapeutics establishes clinical development partnership for its cocaine dependence program

Embera NeuroTherapeutics, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company developing novel treatments for drug dependence, smoking cessation and obesity, announced today that the company has retained Exponential Pharma Ventures LLC to assist in establishing a clinical development partnership for its cocaine dependence program with a fully integrated pharmaceutical company.

17 Feb 2010

Cancer Research UK, immatics Biotechnologies sign collaboration agreement to trial IMA950 vaccine for GMB

CANCER RESEARCH UK and Cancer Research Technology - the charity's development and commercialisation arm - have reached a collaboration agreement with immatics Biotechnologies to trial their new treatment vaccine, IMA950, for glioblastoma multiforme (GMB), one of the most common forms of brain cancer.

16 Feb 2010

Merck announces global sales of $27.4 billion for full-year 2009

Merck & Co., Inc. today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and the full year of 2009 which include the results of legacy Schering-Plough operations from the close of the merger on Nov. 3, 2009 through Dec. 31, 2009.

16 Feb 2010

New finding holds promise for rehabilitating patients after neurological damage

Harnessing brain signals to control keyboards, robots or prosthetic devices is an active area of medical research. Now a rare peek at a human brain hooked up to a computer shows that the two can adapt to each other quickly, and possibly to the brain's benefit.

16 Feb 2010

Simple, inexpensive test to help determine concussion in athletes

A simple test of reaction time may help determine whether athletes have sustained a concussion (also known as mild traumatic brain injury) and when they are ready to play again, according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 62nd Annual Meeting in Toronto April 10 to April 17, 2010.

16 Feb 2010

Researchers find new risk factor for early-onset dementia

Examining brain tissue from over 500 individuals in 11 countries, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and colleagues found a new risk factor for the second-most-common cause of early-onset dementia after Alzheimer's disease.

16 Feb 2010

Clive Svendsen to receive American Academy of Neurology Sheila Essey Award for his research on ALS

Clive Svendsen, Ph.D., director of the Cedars-Sinai Regenerative Medicine Institute, is receiving the American Academy of Neurology Sheila Essey Award for his research on ALS (amyothrophic lateral sclerosis).

16 Feb 2010

Nascent symptoms of autism in infants emerge during latter part of first year of life

A study of the development of autism in infants, comparing the behavior of the siblings of children diagnosed with autism to that of babies developing normally, has found that the nascent symptoms of the condition - a lack of shared eye contact, smiling and communicative babbling - are not present at 6 months, but emerge gradually and only become apparent during the latter part of the first year of life.

16 Feb 2010

Study: Common underlying mechanism causes complex defects in brain development and function

A new study reveals that a common underlying mechanism is shared by a group of previously unrelated disorders which all cause complex defects in brain development and function. Rett syndrome (RTT), Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS) and Alpha-Thalassemia mental Retardation, X-linked syndrome (ATR-X) have each been linked with distinct abnormalities in chromatin, the spools of proteins and DNA that make up chromosomes and control how genetic information is read in a cell.

16 Feb 2010

'Crowding' helps see things better

'Crowding', the phenomenon when people are less able to differentiate letters if they are surrounded by other letters, actually leads to better vision. This is the conclusion of Dr Frans Cornelissen, who together with Dr Ronald van den Berg and Prof. Jos Roerdink is the first to succeed in explaining crowding with a mathematical model. 'At this moment in time our model is mainly interesting in a fundamental sense', says Cornelissen. 'In the long term, however, it may acquire practical applications, for example when designing learning material for children with dyslexia.'

16 Feb 2010

Research findings highlight the vital need for better secondary stroke prevention

New research finds that one out of 12 people who have a stroke will likely soon have another stroke, and one out of four will likely die within one year. Researchers say the findings highlight the vital need for better secondary stroke prevention. The study is published in the February 16, 2010, issue of Neurology-, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

16 Feb 2010

Stem cells intentionally cut and then repair their own DNA to develop new tissues

A new study from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) and the University of Ottawa suggests that stem cells intentionally break their own DNA as a way of regulating tissue development. The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS), could dramatically change how researchers think about tissue development, stem cells and cancer.

15 Feb 2010

TV medical dramas show inaccurate seizure management

Watching TV medical shows might not be the best way to learn what to do when someone has a seizure. Researchers screened the most popular medical dramas and found that doctors and nurses on the shows responded inappropriately to seizures almost half the time, according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 62nd Annual Meeting in Toronto April 10 to April 17, 2010.

15 Feb 2010

Research findings may open door to new therapeutic strategies for serious health problems

Drugs that target the way cells convert nutrients into energy could offer new approaches to treating a range of conditions including heart attack and stroke. Using a new way to screen for potential drugs, a team led by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers has identified several FDA-approved agents, including an over-the-counter anti-nausea drug, that can shift cellular energy metabolism processes in animals.

15 Feb 2010

National MS Society launches We Keep Moving campaign to capture stories of people living with MS

For every person living with and affected by MS there is a unique story about how they move forward with their lives. That is why the National Multiple Sclerosis Society is launching We Keep Moving, a viewer-driven reality campaign that will capture these stories and perspectives through online videos that chronicle how people across the country keep moving forward while living with MS

15 Feb 2010

Calcium waves could be relevant for understanding the origin of Alzheimer's disease

New insights on what causes Alzheimer's disease could arise from a recent discovery made by bioengineers from the University of California, San Diego. The finding concerns the infamous amyloid beta peptides (Aβ)-fragments of which form plaques thought to play a role in Alzheimer's disease.

15 Feb 2010

Negative life experiences can harm developing capacity for love

Do you make the same mistakes in love over and over again? For example, do you always seem to pick the wrong partner or always experience the same negative romantic outcome? If so, you need to understand your developmental history of love and break the pattern, according to Dr. Mark Beitel, a licensed clinical psychologist and psychotherapist at Greenwich Hospital's Center for Integrative Medicine in Cos Cob, CT.

15 Feb 2010

Wyoming lawkmaker pushes for reform, Mississippi Governor bans certain over-the-counter drugs

Associated Press/CNBC: "A veteran Wyoming state senator for the third time is pushing a bill he says would offer health insurance to people who couldn't afford it on the open market and also serve as an example to the rest of the nation of how to tackle rising health care costs. Sen. Charles Scott, R-Casper, has proposed a pilot program that calls for allowing 500 participants to enroll in Medicaid beginning in July. It would be limited to people whose family income is below 250 percent of the federal poverty level — $55,125 for a family of four.

15 Feb 2010

Researcher receives $2.4M grant from NIH to study preeclampsia and diabetes in pregnant women

The link between obesity and high-risk pregnancies caused by preeclampsia and diabetes will be the focus of a $2.4 million National Institutes of Health research grant received by Sean Blackwell, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston.

15 Feb 2010

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Quark Pharmaceuticals' QPI-1002 receives orphan drug designation from FDA

Embera NeuroTherapeutics establishes clinical development partnership for its cocaine dependence program

Cancer Research UK, immatics Biotechnologies sign collaboration agreement to trial IMA950 vaccine for GMB

Merck announces global sales of $27.4 billion for full-year 2009

New finding holds promise for rehabilitating patients after neurological damage

Simple, inexpensive test to help determine concussion in athletes

Researchers find new risk factor for early-onset dementia

Clive Svendsen to receive American Academy of Neurology Sheila Essey Award for his research on ALS

Nascent symptoms of autism in infants emerge during latter part of first year of life

Study: Common underlying mechanism causes complex defects in brain development and function

'Crowding' helps see things better

Research findings highlight the vital need for better secondary stroke prevention

Stem cells intentionally cut and then repair their own DNA to develop new tissues

TV medical dramas show inaccurate seizure management

Research findings may open door to new therapeutic strategies for serious health problems

National MS Society launches We Keep Moving campaign to capture stories of people living with MS

Calcium waves could be relevant for understanding the origin of Alzheimer's disease

Negative life experiences can harm developing capacity for love

Wyoming lawkmaker pushes for reform, Mississippi Governor bans certain over-the-counter drugs

Researcher receives $2.4M grant from NIH to study preeclampsia and diabetes in pregnant women

Industry Focus eBook - Neurology/Neuroscience - 2nd edition eBook

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

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