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Research finding offers potential therapeutic avenues for glioblastoma

Invading glioblastoma cells may hijack cerebral blood vessels during early stages of disease progression and damage the brain's protective barrier, a study in mice indicates. This finding could ultimately lead to new ways to bring about the death of the tumor, as therapies may be able to reach these deadly cells at an earlier time point than was previously thought possible.

9 Jul 2014

Increasing clearance of ALS misfolded protein from neurons improves their survival

In work supported by The ALS Association, researchers have shown that increasing the clearance of misfolded protein from neurons improves their survival. The study was published today in the journal Nature Chemical Biology.

30 Jun 2014

Autism Speaks awards more than $600,000 to scientists pursuing training in translational research

Autism Speaks, the world's leading autism science and advocacy organization, today announced it has awarded more than $600,000 in funding for six promising scientists pursuing academic training in translational research.

28 Jun 2014

Alternative disposal process in optic nerve cells has implications for neurodegenerative diseases

Biologists have long considered cells to function like self-cleaning ovens, chewing up and recycling their own worn out parts as needed.

20 Jun 2014

Researchers shed new light on how gliomas cells migrate in brain and cause devastating tumors

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have shed new light on how cells called gliomas migrate in the brain and cause devastating tumors.

20 Jun 2014

New study on transmitophagy process may help treat diverse disorders

It's broadly assumed that cells degrade and recycle their own old or damaged organelles, but researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Kennedy Krieger Institute have discovered that some neurons transfer unwanted mitochondria - the tiny power plants inside cells - to supporting glial cells called astrocytes for disposal.

18 Jun 2014

JDRF-funded researchers find that beta cell stress may play vital role in the onset of type 1 diabetes

In the healthy pancreas of someone without type 1 diabetes (T1D), the hormone insulin (essential for turning food into energy) is produced, stored, and released in a normal "factory-like" process within pancreatic beta cells in response to glucose in the diet.

10 Jun 2014

Study: The brain controls cellular process that leads to glaucoma

Findings from a new study published in Translational Vision Science & Technology show the brain, not the eye, controls the cellular process that leads to glaucoma. The results may help develop treatments for one of the world's leading causes of irreversible blindness, as well as contribute to the development of future therapies for preserving brain function in other age-related disorders like Alzheimer's.

6 Jun 2014

Researcher receives $1.5M grant from NIH to find clues into causes of Alzheimer's

Alzheimer's is a progressive brain disease that affects older adults, slowly destroys their memories and may cause dementia. According to estimates from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the disease may affect as many as 5.1 million Americans.

22 May 2014

Six-way jet-in-air sorter from Beckman Coulter Life Sciences delivers simultaneous high-speed cell sorting and sub-micron particle detection

MoFlo Astrios EQ, a six-way jet-in-air sorter from Beckman Coulter Life Sciences, delivers patent pending enhanced dual forward scatter (eFSC) technology for simultaneous sorting and detection of particles from 200 nm to 30 µm in diameter. The instrument sets a new standard for flow cytometry core facilities, delivering high-speed cell sorting and micro-particle detection in a single package. Featuring detailed and precise forward scatter resolution, beadless drop sample handling and increased biosafety, Astrios EQ meets a range of analysis needs.

2 May 2014

Researchers develop new ways to prevent repetitive sports related brain injuries

A new study has provided insight into the behavioral damage caused by repeated blows to the head. The research provides a foundation for scientists to better understand and potentially develop new ways to detect and prevent the repetitive sports injuries that can lead to the condition known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

30 Apr 2014

Astrocytes malfunction may contribute to neurodegenerative disorders

Scientists studying brain diseases may need to look beyond nerve cells and start paying attention to the star-shaped cells known as "astrocytes," because they play specialized roles in the development and maintenance of nerve circuits and may contribute to a wide range of disorders, according to a new study by UC San Francisco researchers.

29 Apr 2014

Drug used to treat hypertension prevents post-traumatic epilepsy in rodent model

Between 10 and 20 percent of all cases of epilepsy result from severe head injury, but a new drug promises to prevent post-traumatic seizures and may forestall further brain damage caused by seizures in those who already have epilepsy.

23 Apr 2014

Researchers develop novel tools to learn how astrocytes listen in on neuronal communication

Everything we do - all of our movements, thoughts and feelings - are the result of neurons talking with one another, and recent studies have suggested that some of the conversations might not be all that private.

17 Apr 2014

AES released list of new fellowship awardees for organization's early-career awards

Today, the American Epilepsy Society (AES) released its list of new fellowship awardees, naming 15 recipients for the organization's early-career awards.

15 Apr 2014

Comprehensive genomic analysis of low-grade brain tumors sorts into three categories

Comprehensive genomic analysis of low-grade brain tumors sorts them into three categories, one of which has the molecular hallmarks and shortened survival of glioblastoma multiforme, the most lethal of brain tumors, researchers reported at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2014.

10 Apr 2014

Neuroinflammation levels higher in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome

Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies, in collaboration with Osaka City University and Kansai University of Welfare Sciences, have used functional PET imaging to show that levels of neuroinflammation, or inflammation of the nervous system, are higher in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome than in healthy people.

4 Apr 2014

Potassium boost improves walking, prolongs survival in mouse model of Huntington's disease

Tweaking a specific cell type's ability to absorb potassium in the brain improved walking and prolonged survival in a mouse model of Huntington's disease, reports a UCLA study published March 30 in the online edition of Nature Neuroscience. The discovery could point to new drug targets for treating the devastating disease, which strikes one in every 20,000 Americans.

31 Mar 2014

Study points to potential culprit that kills motor neurons in ALS

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is marked by a cascade of cellular and inflammatory events that weakens and kills vital motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. The process is complex, involving cells that ordinarily protect the neurons from harm. Now, a new study by scientists in The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital points to a potential culprit in this good-cell-gone-bad scenario, a key step toward the ultimate goal of developing a treatment.

27 Mar 2014

Research provides insight into biologic mechanisms that individual cancer cells use to metastasize to brain

New research from Memorial Sloan Kettering provides fresh insight into the biologic mechanisms that individual cancer cells use to metastasize to the brain.

4 Mar 2014