Alzheimer's Disease News and Research

RSS

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.

Human amniotic fluid skin cells "reprogrammed" to pluripotency

In a breakthrough that may help fill a critical need in stem cell research and patient care, researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have demonstrated that skin cells found in human amniotic fluid can be efficiently "reprogrammed" to pluripotency, where they have characteristics similar to human embryonic stem cells that can develop into almost any type of cell in the human body. The study is online now and will appear in print in the next issue of the journal Cellular Reprogramming, to be published next month.

16 Mar 2010

Viron Therapeutics' VT-346 anti-TNF protein exhibits positive results in transgenic mouse model for arthritis

Viron Therapeutics Inc. announced that VT-346, an anti-TNF protein therapeutic, demonstrated positive results in a pivotal proof of concept study in the gold standard transgenic mouse model for arthritis. VT-346 achieved a statistically significant, dose dependent impact in this preclinical model of arthritis and prevented deterioration due to disease in terms of weight gain, arthritic score and pathology parameters. VT-346 had particularly strong protective effects on therapeutically-important bone and cartilage damage in this model.

16 Mar 2010

Aging and Alzheimer's disease: Novel brain imaging technologies help create new insights

The emergence of multiple new brain imaging technologies and the combined application of these new approaches is helping to create new insights into aging and Alzheimer's disease. One of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease is the deposition of amyloid beta protein in clumps or "plaques" within the brain. These plaques can be measured in humans with PET scans that use a chemical marker or radiotracer called 11C-PIB.

16 Mar 2010

This Brain Awareness Week, Canadians are urged to take control and protect their health

With the prevalence of dementia expected to reach 1.1 million Canadians within a generation, taking care of your brain health has never been more important.

16 Mar 2010

Researchers discover microtentacles that play key role in spreading cancer to distant locations in body

Researchers at the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center have discovered that "microtentacles," or extensions of the plasma membrane of breast cancer cells, appear to play a key role in how cancers spread to distant locations in the body. Targeting these microtentacles might prove to be a new way to prevent or slow the growth of these secondary cancers, the scientists say.

15 Mar 2010

UC Irvine researchers play leading role in genome sequencing of Hydra

UC Irvine researchers have played a leading role in the genome sequencing of Hydra, a freshwater polyp that has been a staple of biological research for 300 years.

15 Mar 2010

New study finds green tea extract may prevent Alzheimer's disease and dementia

Long known to be beneficial in heart disease, diabetes and some cancers, a new study finds a specific green tea extract may delay or prevent Alzheimer's disease and dementia. A. Holliday & Company's "Teawell 50," is a 50 percent pure extraction of EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) – a flavonoid which is the most potent of four major catechins in green tea.

15 Mar 2010

Brain Science Institute, Eisai sign licensing agreement to develop GCPII inhibitors

Johns Hopkins University's newly formed Brain Science Institute's NeuroTranslational Program has entered into a licensing agreement with pharmaceutical company Eisai Inc. to discover and develop small molecule glutamate carboxypeptidase II (GCPII) inhibitors.

15 Mar 2010

Eisai, Johns Hopkins University's BSI enter into licensing agreement for GCPII technology

Eisai Inc. today announces that it has entered into a licensing agreement with the Johns Hopkins University's Brain Science Institute related to Eisai's GCPII (glutamate carboxypeptidase II) technology.

12 Mar 2010

University of Tennessee CST effectively detects cognitive abnormalities associated with Alzheimer's disease

Early detection is key to more effective treatment for Alzheimer's disease and other forms of cognitive impairment, and new research shows that a test developed at the University of Tennessee is more than 95 percent effective in detecting cognitive abnormalities associated with these diseases.

12 Mar 2010

New MMMCC center improves patients’ access to medical marijuana

Marijuana is not just for brownies anymore. It has touched the lives of thousands of Michigan residents who are struggling with chronic pain, severe nausea, seizures, spasms or wasting syndrome.

12 Mar 2010

Study shows experimental thyroid drug reduces cholesterol

An experimental thyroid drug reduces cholesterol without the troublesome side effects experienced by some people on statins, according to a study published today in The New England Journal of Medicine. An international team of investigators at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, the Karolinska University Hospital and Institute, and The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research tested a substance called Eprotirome in patients with high cholesterol.

12 Mar 2010

Safeguard Scientifics' aggregate partner company revenue rises 46% in 2009

Safeguard Scientifics, Inc., a holding company that builds value in growth-stage life sciences and technology companies, today announced that aggregate revenue of its partner companies for the year was $262 million, up 46% from $179 million in 2008, exceeding the company’s 2009 guidance of $223 million to $243 million, as adjusted to reflect the inclusion of two new partner companies.

11 Mar 2010

ADI’s 20-bit DAC enables superior image clarity, resolution, and contrast in medical imaging systems

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans provide extraordinarily clear images of the human body and are commonly used to diagnose a wide range of illnesses and injuries, such as Alzheimer’s disease, cancerous tumors, and torn ligaments. Analog Devices, Inc., the leading provider of data conversion technology and longtime collaborator with the medical imaging industry, today introduced a breakthrough in data conversion that gives clinicians and radiologists the superior image clarity they need to see smaller anatomical structures and abnormalities, such as breast cancer cells, than ever before.

11 Mar 2010

Idera Pharmaceuticals announces net income of $3.9M for fourth-quarter 2009

Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2009.

10 Mar 2010

TNS acquires license to Ergothioneine Transporter from University of Cologne

Total Nutraceutical Solutions, Inc. announced that the company has acquired from the University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany, an exclusive license agreement on the invention entitled “Ergothioneine Transporter,” owned by the University.

10 Mar 2010

African-Americans and Hispanics are at higher risk for developing Alzheimer's and dementias

According to the Alzheimer's Association's® 2010 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures, African-Americans are about two times more likely and Hispanics are about one and one-half times more likely than their white counterparts to have Alzheimer's and other dementias.

10 Mar 2010

Cellzome, GSK form second major alliance to develop new anti-inflammatory drugs

Cellzome today announced that it has formed a second strategic alliance with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). This new collaboration gives GSK exclusive access to Cellzome's proprietary Episphere(TM) technology in the emerging field of epigenetics as applied to immunoinflammatory disease. Epigenetic mechanisms play a key role in controlling immune cell differentiation and inflammatory gene expression during an excessive inflammatory response.

10 Mar 2010

Visitors to Rockefeller Center to get unexpected lesson on Alzheimer’s disease throughout March

Throughout the month of March, visitors to Rockefeller Center in the heart of midtown Manhattan will get an unexpected lesson on Alzheimer’s disease.

10 Mar 2010

Augmentation with ketone bodies improves cognitive function in AD patients

Accera, Inc., a biotechnology company delivering breakthrough therapies in central nervous system diseases, announced data which showed that augmentation with ketone bodies significantly improved cognitive function in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients.

10 Mar 2010

Alzheimer's Disease News and Research

Further Reading

Human amniotic fluid skin cells "reprogrammed" to pluripotency

Viron Therapeutics' VT-346 anti-TNF protein exhibits positive results in transgenic mouse model for arthritis

Aging and Alzheimer's disease: Novel brain imaging technologies help create new insights

This Brain Awareness Week, Canadians are urged to take control and protect their health

Researchers discover microtentacles that play key role in spreading cancer to distant locations in body

UC Irvine researchers play leading role in genome sequencing of Hydra

New study finds green tea extract may prevent Alzheimer's disease and dementia

Brain Science Institute, Eisai sign licensing agreement to develop GCPII inhibitors

Eisai, Johns Hopkins University's BSI enter into licensing agreement for GCPII technology

University of Tennessee CST effectively detects cognitive abnormalities associated with Alzheimer's disease

New MMMCC center improves patients’ access to medical marijuana

Study shows experimental thyroid drug reduces cholesterol

Safeguard Scientifics' aggregate partner company revenue rises 46% in 2009

ADI’s 20-bit DAC enables superior image clarity, resolution, and contrast in medical imaging systems

Idera Pharmaceuticals announces net income of $3.9M for fourth-quarter 2009

TNS acquires license to Ergothioneine Transporter from University of Cologne

African-Americans and Hispanics are at higher risk for developing Alzheimer's and dementias

Cellzome, GSK form second major alliance to develop new anti-inflammatory drugs

Visitors to Rockefeller Center to get unexpected lesson on Alzheimer’s disease throughout March

Augmentation with ketone bodies improves cognitive function in AD patients

Aneuro: A Year of Neuroscience in Review eBook

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

Latest News