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Tel Aviv University researchers invent new tool to control risk of runaway stem cells

Stem cell research holds promise for improving the quality of human life ― especially embryonic stem cells, which can potentially develop into any tissue in the human body. However, basic scientific problems still remain unresolved -- but Tel Aviv University researchers are leading the way to inventive solutions.

9 Jun 2010

Merck's MK-4305 improves overall sleep efficiency in primary insomnia patients

Clinical results from a Phase IIb study showed that MK-4305, Merck's investigational dual orexin receptor antagonist, was significantly more effective than placebo (p<0.005) in improving overall sleep efficiency at night one and at the end of week four in patients with primary insomnia. MK-4305 was generally well-tolerated in the study. Orexins are neuropeptides (chemical messengers) that are released by specialized neurons in the hypothalamus region of the brain and are believed to be an important regulator of the brain's sleep-wake process.

9 Jun 2010

Harvard and University of Montreal researchers challenge views on how cells respond to stimuli

People have them, cats have them and whales have some, too. Neurons, those interlinked nerve cells that carry sensations including pain, stretch from our spinal cords to the tips of our toes, paws or fins. According to a new study published in the journal Cell, scientists from the Harvard Medical School, the University of Montreal and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have found a new way by which nerve cells relay information that tell them to grow from millimeters to meters in length.

9 Jun 2010

Research findings hold promise for debilitating emotional symptoms of FXS

The study, which appears in the journal the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is also of potential therapeutic significance-it showed that a brief pharmacological treatment is capable of correcting some of these synaptic deficits in mice genetically engineered to model FXS.

9 Jun 2010

Novartis' Afinitor decreases size of SEGAs associated with tuberous sclerosis

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation announced today that results from a Phase II study show Afinitor® (everolimus) tablets is the first medication in a clinical trial to decrease the size of subependymal giant cell astrocytomas (SEGAs), benign brain tumors associated with tuberous sclerosis (TS). In this study of 28 patients presented today at the 46th American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago, 75% of patients experienced a reduction of 30% or greater in the size of their brain tumors from baseline to six months (p<0.001).

7 Jun 2010

Researchers induce memory of safety in brain of rats

Researchers have found a way to pharmacologically induce a memory of safety in the brain of rats, mimicking the effect of training. The finding suggests possibilities for new treatments for individuals suffering from anxiety disorders.

4 Jun 2010

Researchers generate the first comprehensive genetic parts list of mouse hypothalamus

A Johns Hopkins and Japanese research team has generated the first comprehensive genetic "parts" list of a mouse hypothalamus, an enigmatic region of the brain — roughly cherry-sized, in humans — that controls hunger, thirst, fatigue, body temperature, wake-sleep cycles and links the central nervous system to control of hormone levels.

4 Jun 2010

Research finding suggests possibilities for future treatment of anxiety disorders

Researchers at the University of Puerto Rico, School of Medicine have found a way to pharmacologically induce a memory of safety in the brain of rats. As reported in the June, 4 2010 issue of Science, administering brain-derived neurotrophic factor into the prefrontal cortex prevented rats from expressing fear to a tone that had been previously paired with a shock.

4 Jun 2010

Local anesthetics may have potential therapeutic effects on IBD

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a disease of the gastrointestinal tract, mainly the intestines that may occur in the people who have genetic potential with a contribution of environmental factors.

3 Jun 2010

U-M researchers one step closer to discovering why certain diseases affect specific organs

Why do some diseases affect only specific organs, leaving others invulnerable? Researchers from the University of Michigan have found neural tissue contains imbalanced levels of proteins, which may explain the brain's susceptibility to a debilitating childhood movement disorder.

3 Jun 2010

Research explains brain's susceptibility to dystonia

3 Jun 2010

New breakthrough may help understand human obesity and eating disorders

A nutrient that's common to all living things can make hibernating marmots hungry - a breakthrough that could help scientists understand human obesity and eating disorders, according to a new study by a Colorado State University biologist.

3 Jun 2010

Postdoctoral scientists receive NYSCF-Druckenmiller Fellowship award

The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) today announced the award of eight new NYSCF-Druckenmiller Fellows. These postdoctoral scientists join 15 accomplished stem cell researchers from leading institutions who have been supported by the program since 2006. NYSCF has awarded 23 fellowships to date.

2 Jun 2010

Researchers identify body's natural self-repair mechanism that kicks in after spinal-cord injury

Researchers in the University of Alberta's Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine have made an important discovery that could lead to more effective treatments for spinal-cord injuries. Karim Fouad and David Bennett have identified one of the body's natural self-repair mechanisms that kick in after injury.

31 May 2010

New study provides cause-and-effect link between immune system cells and mental illness

A Nobel Prize-winning University of Utah geneticist discovered that bone marrow transplants cure mutant mice who pull out their hair compulsively. The study provides the first cause-and-effect link between immune system cells and mental illness, and points toward eventual new psychiatric treatments.

28 May 2010

Bone marrow transplant cures excessive pathological grooming behavior in mice

Scientists earlier found that mice missing one of a group of core developmental genes known as the Hox genes developed an odd and rather unexpected pathology: the mutant animals groomed themselves compulsively to the point that they were removing their own hair and leaving self-inflicted open sores on their skin. Now, they've found a surprising connection between the Hoxb8 gene and the behavior that looks an awful lot like that of people with an obsessive compulsive spectrum disorder (OCD).

28 May 2010

Leading stem cell scientists to discuss on stem cell clinical trials for ALS and heart attack patients

The first Cedars-Sinai Regenerative Medicine Scientific Symposium, dedicated to furthering our ability to bring stem cell therapies from the laboratory to the patient bedside. The conference, led by Clive Svendsen, Ph.D., and Eduardo Marb-n, M.D., Ph.D., will highlight the most recent developments in leading-edge stem cell research and treatments for brain and heart diseases.

27 May 2010

UCSF scientists discover new stem cell in developing human brain

UCSF scientists have discovered a new stem cell in the developing human brain. The cell produces nerve cells that help form the neocortex - the site of higher cognitive function -- and likely accounts for the dramatic expansion of the region in the lineages that lead to man, the researchers say.

26 May 2010

New approach to prevention and management of Alzheimer's disease

With the aging of nearly 80 million baby boomers, Alzheimer's disease is an impending epidemic that requires a new approach to prevention as well as management of the disease, according to a UC Santa Barbara professor who has co-authored a new book on the topic.

26 May 2010

Thymosin beta 4 reduces brain tissue damage, improves brain function in rats: Research paper

RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that in a preclinical research paper published in the May 2010 issue of the Journal of Neurosurgery, (online ahead of publication), scientists found that the systemic administration of thymosin beta 4, or Tβ4, significantly reduced brain tissue damage and improved brain function in rats with traumatic brain injury, or TBI.

24 May 2010

Neurons News and Research

Tel Aviv University researchers invent new tool to control risk of runaway stem cells

Merck's MK-4305 improves overall sleep efficiency in primary insomnia patients

Harvard and University of Montreal researchers challenge views on how cells respond to stimuli

Research findings hold promise for debilitating emotional symptoms of FXS

Novartis' Afinitor decreases size of SEGAs associated with tuberous sclerosis

Researchers induce memory of safety in brain of rats

Researchers generate the first comprehensive genetic parts list of mouse hypothalamus

Research finding suggests possibilities for future treatment of anxiety disorders

Local anesthetics may have potential therapeutic effects on IBD

U-M researchers one step closer to discovering why certain diseases affect specific organs

Research explains brain's susceptibility to dystonia

New breakthrough may help understand human obesity and eating disorders

Postdoctoral scientists receive NYSCF-Druckenmiller Fellowship award

Researchers identify body's natural self-repair mechanism that kicks in after spinal-cord injury

New study provides cause-and-effect link between immune system cells and mental illness

Bone marrow transplant cures excessive pathological grooming behavior in mice

Leading stem cell scientists to discuss on stem cell clinical trials for ALS and heart attack patients

UCSF scientists discover new stem cell in developing human brain

New approach to prevention and management of Alzheimer's disease

Thymosin beta 4 reduces brain tissue damage, improves brain function in rats: Research paper

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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