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.

Rush University receives grants to study how epigenomic changes define cognitive decline

The National Institutes of Health has awarded Rush University Medical Center approximately $5.5 million in grants to study how epigenetic changes - chemical modifications to genes that result from diet, aging, stress, or environmental exposures - define and contribute to memory formation and cognitive decline. Results from the studies could profoundly alter the way the medical community understands, diagnoses, and treats Alzheimer's disease, according to the researchers.

1 Oct 2009

UCF research team develops miniature diagnostic tool kit for dementia

With the risk of developing dementia growing at an alarming pace, a University of Central Florida research team is working with the Boston University School of Medicine to develop a miniature diagnostic toolkit in the hopes of stimulating earlier detection and treatment.

1 Oct 2009

Pfeiffer Treatment Center opens new Alzheimer’s care center in Illinois

Pfeiffer Treatment Center proudly announces that it has opened the Pfeiffer Center for Alzheimer’s care in Illinois.

1 Oct 2009

Streptococcal infection does not cause OCD or Tourette syndrome, says study

New research shows that streptococcal infection does not appear to cause or trigger Tourette syndrome or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The research is published in the September 30, 2009, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

1 Oct 2009

New Pathways to Memory Program to improve cognitive function for patients with dementia

Based on the ground-breaking program released in 2005, Homewatch CareGivers (www.HomewatchCareGivers.com), the largest, most experienced international provider of full-service home care, announced the release of its newly expanded Pathways to Memory™ Program, a set of therapeutic activities delivered in a nurturing, failure-free environment that stimulates and enhances cognitive function for patients with early to mid stage dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and other memory loss conditions.

1 Oct 2009

Resverlogix RVX-208 exceeds expectations in Phase 1b/2a clinical trial

Resverlogix Corp. announced today that results from the Company's Phase 1b/2a clinical trial have met and exceeded expectations by successfully concluding the drug, RVX-208, is safe and tolerable. Most importantly RVX-208 has met its primary endpoint to increase the production of plasma ApoA-I, the key cardioprotective protein in high-density lipoprotein (HDL), often referred to as "good" cholesterol.

1 Oct 2009

Study reveals that Americans have limited knowledge about long-term care

Overall, Americans did not do well on a survey of their long-term care knowledge. Most know what long-term care is and how much it costs, but their scores fall short regarding how many people will need it and how they will pay for it. The MetLife Long-Term Care IQ Survey, taken by 1,021 individuals aged 40 to 70 in 2009, compared results with a similar 2004 study.

30 Sep 2009

Life Technologies Foundation awards grants for advancements in science

The Life Technologies Foundation, a non-profit arm of Life Technologies Corporation dedicated to advancing science education and scientific discovery, has awarded approximately $1.7 million in new grants that include the creation of an online biology textbook, and building a museum exhibit about the human cell.

30 Sep 2009

New treatment for Alzheimer's disease may be in the offing

Oleocanthal, a naturally-occurring compound found in extra-virgin olive oil, alters the structure of neurotoxic proteins believed to contribute to the debilitating effects of Alzheimer's disease. This structural change impedes the proteins' ability to damage brain nerve cells.

30 Sep 2009

AAPS Annual Meeting to discuss new research and technologies in pharmaceutical sciences

More than 8,500 individuals from the field of pharmaceutical research are expected to attend this year's AAPS Annual Meeting and Exposition November 8 - 12, 2009 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in California.

29 Sep 2009

World Federation of Neurology awards UT Southwestern director the first Medal for Scientific Achievement

Dr. Roger Rosenberg, director of the Alzheimer's Disease Center at UT Southwestern Medical Center, has been awarded the first Medal for Scientific Achievement by the World Federation of Neurology.

29 Sep 2009

Poor kidney function can affect brain activities

A new study published in the medical journal Neurology suggests that impaired kidney function is a risk factor for cognitive decline in old age.

29 Sep 2009

New scalable solutions for targeted re-sequencing studies from febit holding and Life Technologies

febit holding GmbH and Life Technologies Corporation today announced that they have entered into a strategic co-marketing agreement to provide a new, scalable solution for researchers conducting targeted re-sequencing studies. In addition, febit will expand its Genomic Services Facility at Heidelberg by adding several Applied Biosystems SOLiD™ high-throughput sequencing systems and real-time PCR systems.

28 Sep 2009

Study on how epigenetic changes contribute to congnitive decline

28 Sep 2009

Morphotek announces preliminary data from Phase II trial of farletuzumab

Morphotek(R), Inc., a subsidiary of Eisai Corporation of North America, today announced preliminary data from a Phase II trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of farletuzumab in platinum-sensitive epithelial ovarian cancer subjects experiencing their first relapse. Farletuzumab (MORAb-003) is a humanized monoclonal antibody that targets the Folate Receptor Alpha (FRA).

26 Sep 2009

Stem Cell Therapy International merges with Histostem

Stem Cell Therapy International, Inc. is proud to announce the execution of the Reorganization and Stock Purchase Agreement ("the Agreement") with Histostem Co., Ltd., a Korean company ("Histostem" and together with SCII, "the parties").

25 Sep 2009

AABM Team wins two medals in a national contest

The Aquatic Animal Bio-Medicine R&D Team (AABM Team) of National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) in Taiwan, led by Distinguished Prof. Huey-Lang Yang from Institute of Biotechnology, won two medals out of more than 100 teams in the national contest, “2009 Crazy Idea – King of Practical Applications on Creative Researches and Development of Biotechnology,” organized by the Industrial Development Bureau of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Taiwan.

25 Sep 2009

Researchers to use Intravenous Immune Globulin for slowing AD progression

Researchers from the Memory and Cognition Center at University Hospitals Case Medical Center will begin testing an intriguing new approach to slowing down the progression of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) using Intravenous Immune Globulin (IGIV), also known as gammaglobulin.

25 Sep 2009

Researchers study about abnormal gene functioning in mitochondria

Researchers are delving into abnormal gene function in mitochondria, structures within cells that power our lives. Mitochondria are the place where energy is generated from the most basic molecules of food. Because this function is essential to life, defects in mitochondria may affect a wide range of organ systems in humans and animals.

25 Sep 2009

Neuroscience professor receives Institutes of Health Director's New Innovator Award

Leon Reijmers, PhD, assistant professor of neuroscience at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, is one of 55 recipients of the National Institutes of Health Director's New Innovator Award. Reijmers is investigating the way memories are stored in the brain, specifically focusing on the proteins involved in long-term memory storage.

25 Sep 2009