Central Nervous System News and Research

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Alnylam Pharmaceuticals presents data on multiple therapeutic programs at RNAi Symposium

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, today announced that it presented data from multiple pre-clinical and clinical programs at the “RNA Silencing: Mechanism, Biology, and Application” Keystone Symposium held January 14-19, 2010 in Keystone, Colorado. Alnylam and its collaborators presented data from Alnylam’s therapeutic programs including transthyretin (TTR)-mediated amyloidosis and Huntington’s disease, as well as new data on delivery approaches for the systemic delivery of RNAi therapeutics.

20 Jan 2010

National Institutes of Mental Health awards $8M for HIV research

A multidisciplinary research team at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine has been awarded $8 million in funding by the National Institutes of Mental Health to develop methods to rid the body of HIV.

20 Jan 2010

New analysis reveals high rates of CNS disorders in autistic children

Nearly two-thirds of the children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders recorded in the National Birth Defect Registry (NBDR) also suffer from structural birth defects, according the national nonprofit, Birth Defect Research for Children (BDRC).

20 Jan 2010

Scientists determine structure of enzyme essential to the survival of protozoan parasites

After many years of study, a team of researchers is releasing data today that it hopes will lead to new drug therapies that will kill the family of parasites that causes a deadly trio of insect-borne diseases and has afflicted inhabitants of underdeveloped and developing nations for centuries.

18 Jan 2010

Breakthrough discovery could lead to new treatments for a variety of CNS disorders

A breakthrough discovery by scientists at the University of Kentucky could someday lead to new treatments for a variety of diseases of the brain, spinal cord and the eye.

18 Jan 2010

Dartmouth researchers to develop and market a drug throughout Asia for treatment of CKD

Thanks in part to more than a decade of preclinical work by Dartmouth researchers, a Japanese biopharmaceutical firm is preparing to develop and market throughout Asia a drug for the treatment of chronic kidney disease (CKD).

18 Jan 2010

New findings may yield novel therapies for chronic neurodegenerative diseases

We all have at one time or another experienced the typical signs of an infection: the fever, the listlessness, the lack of appetite. They are orchestrated by the brain in response to circulating cytokines, the signaling molecules of the immune system. But just how cytokines' reach extends beyond the almost impenetrable blood-brain barrier has been the topic of much dispute.

18 Jan 2010

Findings may pave way for significant advancements in cochlear implant technology for hearing loss

Loss of spiral ganglion neurons or hair cells in the inner ear is the leading cause of congenital and acquired hearing impairment. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health found that Sox2, a protein that regulates stem cell formation, is involved in spiral ganglion neuron development. The study was published in the January 13 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.

13 Jan 2010

New clinical study: CeNeRx BioPharma's CXB722 has potential as novel anxiolytic

CeNeRx BioPharma, Inc., a clinical stage company developing and commercializing innovative treatments for diseases of the central nervous system, today reported that a new clinical study shows that its investigational compound CXB722 has potential as a novel anxiolytic, demonstrating a significant effect on both endocrine and cardiovascular biomarkers associated with stress.

13 Jan 2010

MedGenesis Therapeutix enters into license agreement with Amgen

MedGenesis Therapeutix Inc. ("MedGenesis"), a biopharmaceutical company developing and commercializing innovative treatments for patients with serious central nervous system (CNS) diseases, announced today that it has successfully entered into an agreement with Amgen Inc. ("Amgen"), granting MedGenesis an exclusive, worldwide license for glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) protein in CNS and non-CNS indications, subject to the rights of a co-exclusive licensee for CNS indications in certain countries, as further described below.

12 Jan 2010

Paragon Biomedical launches second phase of restructuring and growth plan for worldwide operations

Paragon Biomedical, Inc. announced today that it has launched the second phase of its restructuring and growth plan for worldwide operations. Gena Reed, Paragon's Founder and Chief Executive Officer, said the strategy will build upon the company's strengths in its key therapeutic areas and regions.

12 Jan 2010

BIDMC scientists identify new pathway to address the problem of photophobia during migraines

Ask anyone who suffers from migraine headaches what they do when they're having an attack, and you're likely to hear "go into a dark room." And although it's long been known that light makes migraines worse, the reason why has been unclear.

11 Jan 2010

Chinese researchers become the world's fifth most prolific contributors to regenerative medicine

Chinese researchers have become the world's fifth most prolific contributors to peer-reviewed scientific literature on clock-reversing regenerative medicine even as a skeptical international research community condemns the practice of Chinese clinics administering unproven stem cell therapies to domestic and foreign patients.

8 Jan 2010

New genetic findings may lead to better interventional therapies for obsessive compulsive disorders

A collaboration between the University of Massachusetts Medical School, the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University and the Broad Institute at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has identified a genetic locus on canine chromosome 7 which coincides with an increased risk of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) susceptibility.

7 Jan 2010

Researchers identify new approach to eliminate side effects of drugs

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have taken an early step toward identifying a new approach to drug discovery that may eventually yield drugs with fewer side effects.

7 Jan 2010

EnVivo Pharmaceuticals announces initiation and dosing of patients in Phase 2b study of EVP-6124

EnVivo Pharmaceuticals today announced the initiation and dosing of patients in a Phase 2b study of its EVP-6124 compound, a selective alpha-7 nicotinic agonist in patients with schizophrenia. EnVivo is conducting the multi-center, dose ranging, placebo controlled, three-month study in the U.S. and Europe.

6 Jan 2010

Erectile dysfunction linked to RLS in older men

A study in the Jan. 1 issue of the journal Sleep shows that erectile dysfunction was more common in older men with restless leg syndrome (RLS) than in those without RLS, and the magnitude of this association increased with a higher frequency of RLS symptoms.

3 Jan 2010

FDA accepts NDA review for new anticonvulsant drug

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review the New Drug Application (NDA) seeking marketing approval for Retigabine. In addition, the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) confirmed on November 17, 2009 that the MAA (Marketing Authorization Application) was successfully validated thus enabling the MAA review to commence.

30 Dec 2009

NeurAxon closes the sale of $8.75 million of unsecured subordinated convertible debentures

NeurAxon, Inc., a development-stage pharmaceutical company that is designing and developing next-generation pain therapeutics targeting neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), today announced that it has closed the sale of approximately $8.75 million of unsecured subordinated 2.0% convertible debentures that are convertible under specified circumstances into existing class B preferred shares.

29 Dec 2009

Emerald BioStructures engineers new allosteric small molecule modulators of the PDE4 enzyme

Emerald BioStructures (formerly deCODE biostructures) announced today a publication in the December 27, 2009 advance online issue of Nature Biotechnology, detailing the application of structure-based drug design (SBDD) to engineer new allosteric small molecule modulators of the enzyme phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4), with reduced side effects. According to the paper, the researchers established the structural basis of PDE4 regulation through crystal structures of the PDE4 regulatory domain in contact with small molecules.

29 Dec 2009

Central Nervous System News and Research

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals presents data on multiple therapeutic programs at RNAi Symposium

National Institutes of Mental Health awards $8M for HIV research

New analysis reveals high rates of CNS disorders in autistic children

Scientists determine structure of enzyme essential to the survival of protozoan parasites

Breakthrough discovery could lead to new treatments for a variety of CNS disorders

Dartmouth researchers to develop and market a drug throughout Asia for treatment of CKD

New findings may yield novel therapies for chronic neurodegenerative diseases

Findings may pave way for significant advancements in cochlear implant technology for hearing loss

New clinical study: CeNeRx BioPharma's CXB722 has potential as novel anxiolytic

MedGenesis Therapeutix enters into license agreement with Amgen

Paragon Biomedical launches second phase of restructuring and growth plan for worldwide operations

BIDMC scientists identify new pathway to address the problem of photophobia during migraines

Chinese researchers become the world's fifth most prolific contributors to regenerative medicine

New genetic findings may lead to better interventional therapies for obsessive compulsive disorders

Researchers identify new approach to eliminate side effects of drugs

EnVivo Pharmaceuticals announces initiation and dosing of patients in Phase 2b study of EVP-6124

Erectile dysfunction linked to RLS in older men

FDA accepts NDA review for new anticonvulsant drug

NeurAxon closes the sale of $8.75 million of unsecured subordinated convertible debentures

Emerald BioStructures engineers new allosteric small molecule modulators of the PDE4 enzyme

Achieving and maintaining ISO 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

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