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HFSP grant to develop molecular probes to study "cellular GPS" system

An international group of researchers from Carnegie Mellon University, Goettingen Medical School in Germany and the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom have received a Human Frontiers Science Program (HFSP) grant to develop molecular probes that will help researchers better understand the "cellular GPS" system that guides neurons to create a properly wired nervous system.

11 Nov 2009

New micronail chip to enable electronics and biological cells communicate with each other

IMEC presents a unique microchip with microscopic nail structures that enable close communication between the electronics and biological cells. The new chip is a mass-producible, easy-to-use tool in electrophysiology research, for example for fundamental research on the functioning and dysfunctioning of the brain. Each micronail structure serves as a close contact-point for one cell, and contains an electrode that can very accurately record and trigger in real-time the electrical activity of an individual electrogenic cell in a network.

9 Nov 2009

Gene therapy saves two children with adrenoleukodystrophy

The ELA association and Zinedine Zidane, its emblematic ambassador, are proud to announce a world premiere: the results regaring the gene therapy in adrenoleukodystrophy conducted in France have just been published in the prestigious journal Science. Two children have been treated and their diseases have been halted. The children are doing well, which is unexpected for a disease destroying the brain in a few months. This discovery opens up treatment perspectives for numerous widespread diseases.

6 Nov 2009

Boosting NAD+ after spinal cord injury may prevent permanent nerve death

Substances naturally produced by the human body may one day help prevent paralysis following a spinal cord injury, according to researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College. A recent $2.5 million grant from the New York State Spinal Cord Injury Research Board will fund their research investigating this possibility.

6 Nov 2009

Rush University Medical Center opens TMS Clinic to offer non-drug treatment for depression

Rush University Medical Center has opened the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Clinic to offer patients suffering from major depression a safe, effective, non-drug treatment. TMS therapy is the first FDA-approved, non-invasive antidepressant device-based treatment clinically proven for treatment of depression.

6 Nov 2009

New therapeutic approach targets cancer cells, not normal cells

The ultimate goal in cancer research, a treatment that kills cancer cells whilst leaving healthy cells untouched, is brought nearer by the success of a new therapeutic approach. The potential therapy, published in BioMed Central's open access journal Breast Cancer Research, targets proliferation of cancer, but not normal, cells.

5 Nov 2009

Tetracycline-like compound raises hope for treatment of spinal muscular atrophy

A chemical cousin of the common antibiotic tetracycline might be useful in treating spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a currently incurable disease that is the leading genetic cause of death in infants. This is the finding of a research collaboration involving Adrian Krainer, Ph.D., of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) and scientists from Paratek Pharmaceuticals and Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science.

5 Nov 2009

New improved enzyme could help facilitate spinal cord injuries

Researchers have developed an improved version of an enzyme that degrades the dense scar tissue that forms when the central nervous system is damaged. By digesting the tissue that blocks re-growth of damaged nerves, the improved enzyme - and new system for delivering it - could facilitate recovery from serious central nervous system injuries.

4 Nov 2009

Laser-scanning microscope records brain activity in freely moving animals

The majority of our life is spent moving around a static world and we generate our impression of the world using visual and other senses simultaneously. It is the ability to freely explore our environment that is essential for the view we form of our local surroundings.

4 Nov 2009

Individuals who had experienced trauma exposure in both childhood and adulthood likely to develop PTSD

Individuals who experience both childhood adversity and traumatic events in adulthood appear more likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder than those exposed to only one of these types of incidents, according to a report in the November issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. In addition, the risk was further increased in individuals with a certain genetic mutation.

3 Nov 2009

Lipid may be vital to learning

Saturated fats have a deservedly bad reputation, but Johns Hopkins scientists have discovered that a sticky lipid occurring naturally at high levels in the brain may help us memorize grandma's recipe for cinnamon buns, as well as recall how, decades ago, she served them up steaming from the oven.

31 Oct 2009

Johns Hopkins researchers find life in blood-starved retinas; shed light on vision loss

Like all tissues in the body, the eye needs a healthy blood supply to function properly. Poorly developed blood vessels can lead to visual impairment or even blindness. While many of the molecules involved in guiding the development of the intricate blood vessel architecture are known, only now are we learning how these molecules work and how they might affect sight.

31 Oct 2009

Researchers show Simvastatin prevents Parkinson's disease from progressing further

Simvastatin, a commonly used, cholesterol-lowering drug, may prevent Parkinson's disease from progressing further. Neurological researchers at Rush University Medical Center conducted a study examining the use of the FDA-approved medication in mice with Parkinson's disease and found that the drug successfully reverses the biochemical, cellular and anatomical changes caused by the disease.

30 Oct 2009

Long-term effects of statin therapy could lead to transient or permanent cognitive impairment

Besides their tremendous value in treating high cholesterol and lowering the risk of heart disease, statins have also been reported to potentially lower the risks of other diseases, such as dementia. However, a study in the October Journal of Lipid Research finds that similar statin drugs can have profoundly different effects on brain cells -both beneficial and detrimental.

29 Oct 2009

CIRM awards Salk Institute $10.8M grant to develop stem-cell based therapy for Lou Gehrig's Disease

The Salk Institute has been awarded a $10.8 million grant by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) for translational research focusing on developing a novel stem-cell based therapy for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) - or Lou Gehrig's Disease.

29 Oct 2009

Regeneration of central nervous system axons can be achieved: Study

Scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report that regeneration of central nervous system axons can be achieved in rats even when treatment delayed is more than a year after the original spinal cord injury.

29 Oct 2009

Brain cell transplants help replace degenerated neurons, finds Swiss research team

A Swiss research team has found that using an animal's own brain cells (autologous transplant) to replace degenerated neurons in select brain areas of donor primates with simulated but asymptomatic Parkinson's disease and previously in a motor cortex lesion model, provides a degree of brain protection and may be useful in repairing brain lesions and restoring function.

29 Oct 2009

Moores UCSD Cancer Center awarded $20 million for cancer research

Researchers led by Moores UCSD Cancer Center Director Dennis A. Carson, MD, professor of medicine, and Catriona Jamieson, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine and director of the Cancer Stem Cell Research Program at the Moores UCSD Cancer Center have been awarded $20 million over four years to develop novel drugs against leukemia stem cells.

28 Oct 2009

Scientists test rapamycin's effectiveness at rescuing impaired nerve cells

Johns Hopkins scientists report having used a commercially available drug to successfully "rescue" animal brain cells that they had intentionally damaged by manipulating a newly discovered gene that links susceptibility genes for schizophrenia and autism.

28 Oct 2009

Rutgers scientist receives 2009 Gruber International Research Award

For the first time, it now is possible for researchers to peer into those internal processes in a rodent brain. Eva Pastalkova, a post-doctoral researcher at the Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience at Rutgers University, Newark and her advisor, Professor Gy-rgy Buzsaki, have developed a method for studying internally generated brain activity in rats.

28 Oct 2009

Neurons News and Research

HFSP grant to develop molecular probes to study "cellular GPS" system

New micronail chip to enable electronics and biological cells communicate with each other

Gene therapy saves two children with adrenoleukodystrophy

Boosting NAD+ after spinal cord injury may prevent permanent nerve death

Rush University Medical Center opens TMS Clinic to offer non-drug treatment for depression

New therapeutic approach targets cancer cells, not normal cells

Tetracycline-like compound raises hope for treatment of spinal muscular atrophy

New improved enzyme could help facilitate spinal cord injuries

Laser-scanning microscope records brain activity in freely moving animals

Individuals who had experienced trauma exposure in both childhood and adulthood likely to develop PTSD

Lipid may be vital to learning

Johns Hopkins researchers find life in blood-starved retinas; shed light on vision loss

Researchers show Simvastatin prevents Parkinson's disease from progressing further

Long-term effects of statin therapy could lead to transient or permanent cognitive impairment

CIRM awards Salk Institute $10.8M grant to develop stem-cell based therapy for Lou Gehrig's Disease

Regeneration of central nervous system axons can be achieved: Study

Brain cell transplants help replace degenerated neurons, finds Swiss research team

Moores UCSD Cancer Center awarded $20 million for cancer research

Scientists test rapamycin's effectiveness at rescuing impaired nerve cells

Rutgers scientist receives 2009 Gruber International Research Award

eBook: Advancing neurodegenerative research with iPSC-derived microglia models 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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