Alzheimer's Disease News and Research

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Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills and, eventually, the ability to carry out the simplest tasks of daily living. In most people with AD, symptoms first appear after age 60. AD is the most common cause of dementia among older people, but it is not a normal part of aging. Dementia refers to a decline in cognitive function that interferes with daily life and activities. AD starts in a region of the brain that affects recent memory, then gradually spreads to other parts of the brain. Although treatment can slow the progression of AD and help manage its symptoms in some people, currently there is no cure for this devastating disease.

Research could lead to new approaches to treat dementia

A researcher at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, in collaboration with scientists from the National Institutes of Health, has discovered that the deadly plaques of Alzheimer's disease interact with certain cellular proteins to inhibit normal signals that maintain blood flow to the brain.

11 Jan 2011

Takeda, Zinfandel enter global licensing agreement for TOMM40 biomarker assay for Alzheimer's disease

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited and Zinfandel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that they have entered into an exclusive, worldwide licensing agreement regarding Zinfandel's TOMM40 assay as a biomarker for the risk of Alzheimer's disease in high-risk older adults with normal cognition. The companies will study pioglitazone in connection with the TOMM40 biomarker and Alzheimer's disease.

11 Jan 2011

Bristol-Myers Squibb, OPKO Health collaborate in relation to new diagnostic test technology

OPKO Health, Inc. today announced that it has entered into a collaboration agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb Company relating to OPKO's new diagnostic test technology. OPKO's simple blood tests are being developed, based on its proprietary platform technology, to identify biomarkers for a wide variety of diseases including neurodegenerative disorders and various malignancies.

11 Jan 2011

Amount of alcohol and pattern of consumption affect risk of cognitive impairment

Previous research regarding the association between alcohol consumption and dementia or cognitive impairment in later life suggests that mild to moderate alcohol consumption might be protective of dementia. However, most of the research has been conducted on subjects already rather elderly at the start of the follow-up. A new study published in the December issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease addresses this problem with a follow-up of more than two decades.

11 Jan 2011

Neuroptix announces closing of $4 million Series C funding round

Neuroptix Corporation, a leading innovator in the early detection of Alzheimer's Disease through a non-invasive eye test, today announced that it has closed the first approximately $4 Million tranche of a Series C funding round, as the company continues clinical development of its diagnostic platform.

10 Jan 2011

Omega-3 fatty acid may help protect against traumatic brain injury

Animal experiments suggest that taking the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexanoic acid (DHA) might offer a new way of protecting against traumatic brain injury (TBI), reports the February issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

10 Jan 2011

New lab-on-a-chip technology detects protein in blood less than 30 minutes

While most blood tests require shipping a vial of blood to a laboratory for analysis and waiting several days for the results, a new device invented by a team of engineers and students at the University of Rhode Island uses just a pinprick of blood in a portable device that provides results in less than 30 minutes.

10 Jan 2011

Green tea may help in Alzheimer’s disease: Study

A new study finds that a cup of green tea may protect against Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. The researchers looked at the effects of a concentrated green tea extract that had been treated in the laboratory to mimic the effects of normal digestion.

9 Jan 2011

Simple Alzheimer’s disease test developed

The latest research has shown that a simple blood test could detect Alzheimer’s disease. Applying the same technology it could also detect hard-to-detect cancers and other diseases. The study reports appeared this Thursday in the journal Cell.

9 Jan 2011

Unexpected discovery holds promise for PTSD, other anxiety disorders

An unexpected discovery by UCLA life scientists holds promise for the future development of treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder and other anxiety disorders, and potentially for Alzheimer's disease and other memory-impairment diseases.

7 Jan 2011

Amorfix's AD diagnostic assay detects aggregated beta amyloid in spinal fluid

Amorfix Life Sciences, a product development company focused on diagnostics and therapeutics for misfolded protein diseases, today announced preliminary results indicating that their human Alzheimer's disease (AD) diagnostic assay can detect a signal from aggregated beta amyloid in the spinal fluid (CSF) from AD patients.

7 Jan 2011

ANAVEX 2-73 named 2010's 'most promising trial drug' by Alzheimer's Weekly

Anavex Life Sciences Corp. announced today that ANAVEX 2-73 has been named 2010's "most promising trial drug" by the editorial staff at Alzheimer's Weekly. The publication selected the ANAVEX 2-73 trial from a field of over 100 trials that treat dementias such as Alzheimer's and following the review of more than 10,000 articles.

7 Jan 2011

Biomarker study yields diagnostic blood test candidate for detection of Alzheimer's disease

OPKO Health, Inc. today announced the publication of a biomarker study yielding its diagnostic blood test candidate for the detection of Alzheimer's disease.

7 Jan 2011

Ligand, Chiva Pharmaceuticals enter strategic relationship to develop multiple Ligand assets, technology

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated announced today that it has entered into a strategic relationship with Chiva Pharmaceuticals, to develop multiple Ligand assets and technology in China and potentially worldwide.

7 Jan 2011

Researchers develop simple blood test to track Alzheimer's disease

Using a new technology that relies on thousands of synthetic molecules to fish for disease-specific antibodies, researchers have developed a potential method for detecting Alzheimer's disease with a simple blood test.

6 Jan 2011

Antigenics announces name change to Agenus

Antigenics Inc. today announced that effective immediately it is changing its name to Agenus Inc. The company's stock will continue to be traded on NASDAQ under the symbol AGEN. The new name reflects the broadening of the company's product portfolio of clinical candidates beyond autologous antigen-based vaccines, as well as its commitment to actively pursuing licensing opportunities to leverage its development capabilities and expand its product portfolio.

6 Jan 2011

Scientists develop novel technology to detect immune molecules specific to Alzheimer's disease

Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute, have developed a novel technology that is able to detect the presence of immune molecules specific to Alzheimer's disease in patients' blood samples. While still preliminary, the findings offer clear proof that this breakthrough technology could be used in the development of biomarkers for a range of human diseases.

6 Jan 2011

Research says regular intake of green tea can prevent Alzheimer's disease

Regularly drinking green tea could protect the brain against developing Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia, according to latest research by scientists at Newcastle University.

6 Jan 2011

Researchers say women with multiple sclerosis have more HLA genes than men

Women who have multiple sclerosis (MS) are more likely to have a gene associated with multiple sclerosis than men with the disease and it is this gene region where environment interacts with the genetics, according to a study published in the January 5, 2011, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

6 Jan 2011

Pico-Tesla commences placebo-controlled Magneceutical Therapy study for Alzheimer's disease

Pico-Tesla, The Magneceutical Company, announced that it has commenced a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study of 30 patients who have Alzheimer's disease symptoms.

6 Jan 2011