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.

FDA accepts Merz Pharmaceuticals' premarket approval application for Belotero Balance

Merz Pharmaceuticals, LLC, a leading specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review Merz's premarket approval (PMA) application for Belotero(R) Balance.

11 Sep 2009

Phase 2b clinical trial results of TC-5214 to be presented at nAChR2009

Targacept, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of drugs known as NNR Therapeutics, today confirmed plans to present data from its completed Phase 2b clinical trial of TC-5214 as an augmentation treatment for major depressive disorder at the Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors as Therapeutic Targets Symposium (nAChR2009) in Lincolnshire, Illinois on October 15, 2009.

10 Sep 2009

CytRx granted patent for molecular chaperone amplifier drug candidate

CytRx Corporation, a biopharmaceutical research and development company engaged in the development of high-value human therapeutics, today announced that it has been granted a key patent by the European Patent Office that covers through 2024 the use of its orally available molecular chaperone amplifier drug candidate arimoclomol for the treatment or prevention of neurodegenerative diseases of the central nervous system (CNS).

10 Sep 2009

High cognitive performance linked to high intake of fruits and vegetables

Researchers at the Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I of the Heinrich-Heine University, D-sseldorf, Germany, investigated the relationship between fruit and vegetable intake, plasma antioxidant micronutrient status and cognitive performance in healthy subjects aged 45 to 102 years.

10 Sep 2009

ADDF's grant to Abiant for developing accurate imaging diagnostic approach

The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) announced today that it is providing a grant of $200,000 to Abiant, Inc. (Deerfield, IL), for the development of a highly accurate imaging diagnostic for Alzheimer's Disease.

9 Sep 2009

ADHC allies with INVENT Pharmaceuticals

Ernest B. Remo, Chairman/CEO of American Diversified Holdings Corporation, announced today that ADHC has entered into a broad strategic alliance with INVENT Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

9 Sep 2009

Daily intake of fruits and vegetables indicates higher cognitive performance in individuals

Researchers at the Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I of the Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany, investigated the relationship between fruit and vegetable intake, plasma antioxidant micronutrient status and cognitive performance in healthy subjects aged 45 to 102 years. Their results, published in the August issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, indicated higher cognitive performance in individuals with high daily intake of fruits and vegetables.

9 Sep 2009

Applications invited from scientists for LBD Biomarker Research Award

The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) and the Lewy Body Dementia Association (LBDA) invite scientists from the biotechnology industry and academia worldwide to apply for a new collaborative research grant award entitled Lewy Body Dementia Biomarker Research Award.

8 Sep 2009

Research to develop new techniques for studying wild and transgenic mice's nervous system

Researchers of the Pablo de Olavide University (Seville) have started different projects based on the study of phenotype techniques in mice and their applicability to the pharmaceutical industry and neurodegenerative medicine.

8 Sep 2009

Proteostasis Therapeutics to use GeneGo's MetaCore integrated software

GeneGo, Inc., the leading systems biology tools company, announced today that Proteostasis Therapeutics has licensed its data mining and analysis platform, MetaCore. Proteostasis Therapeutics is the first company dedicated to the discovery of novel small molecule therapeutics based upon understanding the body's Proteostasis Network. The Proteostasis Network maintains the body's natural balance of proteins to protect us from numerous diseases.

8 Sep 2009

Researchers discover benefits of treating Alzheimer's disease with cancer drug

A drug now used to treat cancer may also be able to restore memory deficits in patients with Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study conducted by scientists at Columbia University Medical Center, which appeared in the September issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease: Volume 18:1.

8 Sep 2009

Cognitive abilities decline more for people with Alzheimer's disease due to infections

Getting a cold, stomach bug or other infection may lead to increased memory loss in people with Alzheimer's disease, according to research published in the September 8, 2009, print issue of Neurology-, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

8 Sep 2009

Early schizophrenia symptoms include unusually high CA1 subfield activity

In the first functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study of its kind, neurologists and psychiatrists at Columbia University have identified an area of the brain involved in the earliest stages of schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders.

7 Sep 2009

CLU and PICALM genes associated with Alzheimer's disease

British scientists have discovered two new genes associated with Alzheimer's disease, while French colleagues uncovered a third. The results, from the largest ever Alzheimer's genome-wide association study (GWAS) involving 16,000 individuals, are published in Nature Genetics. They are the first new genes found to be associated with the common form of Alzheimer's disease since 1993.

7 Sep 2009

Two more genetic risk factors for Alzheimer's disease discovered

An international team of scientists has identified two more genetic risk factors for Alzheimer's disease. The findings are reported in the online edition of the journal Nature Genetics.

7 Sep 2009

CIHR funds for Alzheimer's and stroke research

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) has announced a grant totaling more than a million dollars for John F. MacDonald's research on Alzheimer's disease.

7 Sep 2009

Cancer drug could restore memory deficits in Alzheimer's patients

7 Sep 2009

Alzheimer’s disease researcher joins UBC's European Scientific Advisory Board

United BioSource Corporation (UBC) announced this summer at ICAD 2009 that Bengt Winblad, MD, PhD has joined its European Scientific Advisory Board for CNS Clinical Trials. Professor Winblad is one of the world’s leading Alzheimer’s disease researchers and currently serves as Professor of Geriatric Medicine and Chief Physician at the Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, and the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.

5 Sep 2009

Researchers study the brain's posterior cingulate cortex

Using brain scans in monkeys, Duke University Medical Center researchers are now able to predict when monkeys will switch from exploiting a known resource to exploring their options.

5 Sep 2009

nSR100 protein plays a key role in neuron development

Researchers at the University of Toronto have identified a protein which plays a key role in the development of neurons, which could enhance our understanding of how the brain works, and how diseases such as Alzheimer's occur.

5 Sep 2009