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Cancer drug may protect kidneys from damage caused by chemotherapy agent cisplatin

A class of drugs used increasingly to help fight cancer may have the additional benefit of protecting the kidneys when packaged with the powerful chemotherapy agent cisplatin.

16 Dec 2015

High-fat diet appears to prompt immune cells to start consuming connections between neurons

When a high-fat diet causes us to become obese, it also appears to prompt normally bustling immune cells in our brain to become sedentary and start consuming the connections between our neurons, scientists say.

24 Nov 2015

Harnessing the brain's immune system to combat Alzheimer's disease

A new study appearing in the Journal of Neuroinflammation suggests that the brain's immune system could potentially be harnessed to help clear the amyloid plaques that are a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease.

5 Nov 2015

New research may have profound impact on future development of anti-depressant medications

Major depression, which afflicts one in six people at some point in their life, is the leading global cause of disability - surpassing cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, cancer and HIV/AIDS combined.

22 Oct 2015

Discovery may lead to new anti-metastasis therapies for advanced-stage brain cancer patients

It's no surprise that people enjoy warm places like Hawaii but may suffer in hostile locales such as Antarctica. A tumor suppressor gene called PTEN is similar in that it is affected by the microenvironments of certain bodily organs to which it travels.

20 Oct 2015

Single drop of blood in the brain can activate autoimmune response akin to multiple sclerosis

A new study from the Gladstone Institutes shows that a single drop of blood in the brain is sufficient to activate an autoimmune response akin to multiple sclerosis (MS). This is the first demonstration that introduction of blood in the healthy brain is sufficient to cause peripheral immune cells to enter the brain, which then go on to cause brain damage.

12 Oct 2015

IU-led scientists discover new gene that increases Alzheimer's disease risk

In a newly published study, a multi-institutional team led by scientists at the Indiana University School of Medicine have discovered an immune system gene associated with higher rates of amyloid plaque buildup in the brains of Alzheimer's patients and older adults at risk for the disease.

6 Oct 2015

Researchers identify role of microglia during early stages of Alzheimer's disease

For the first time, researchers have determined how toxic tau fibrils spread by the help of brain immune cells called microglia during the early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The discovery of this new pathway may lead to a therapeutic target for AD, one that has not been previously identified.

5 Oct 2015

Stanford researchers identify iron-containing microglia in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease

Examining post-mortem tissue from the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease, Stanford University School of Medicine investigators identified what appear to be iron-containing microglia -- specialized scavenger cells that sometimes become inflammatory -- in a particular part of the hippocampus, a key brain structure whose integrity is critical to memory formation.

21 Jul 2015

New NEI study shows that microglia can accelerate damage wrought by blinding eye disorders

Spider-like cells inside the brain, spinal cord and eye hunt for invaders, capturing and then devouring them. These cells, called microglia, often play a beneficial role by helping to clear trash and protect the central nervous system against infection. But a new study by researchers at the National Eye Institute (NEI) shows that they also accelerate damage wrought by blinding eye disorders, such as retinitis pigmentosa.

2 Jul 2015

New research reveals that male and female mice use different cells to process pain

New research released today in Nature Neuroscience reveals for the first time that pain is processed in male and female mice using different cells. These findings have far-reaching implications for our basic understanding of pain, how we develop the next generation of medications for chronic pain—which is by far the most prevalent human health condition—and the way we execute basic biomedical research using mice.

30 Jun 2015

Potential new class of drugs lessen neurodegeneration in rat model of Parkinson's disease

The first test in a mammalian model of a potential new class of drugs to treat Parkinson's disease shows abatement of neurodegeneration in the brains of test rats and no significant toxicities, University of Alabama at Birmingham and Pfizer Inc. researchers report online in The Journal of Biological Chemistry.

26 Jun 2015

Drug discovery experts receive £3m to find new treatments for Alzheimer's disease

Funding worth nearly half a million pounds will unite academics at the University of Southampton with drug discovery experts at the medical research charity MRC Technology, to target the immune system in the hunt for new treatments for Alzheimer's disease.

19 Jun 2015

New research shows that low glycemic index diets reduce autism symptoms in mice

Bread, cereal and other sugary processed foods cause rapid spikes and subsequent crashes in blood sugar. In contrast, diets made up of vegetables, fruits and whole grains are healthier, in part because they take longer to digest and keep us more even-keeled.

9 Jun 2015

Study suggests direct biophysical link between chronic pain, depression and anxiety

Brain inflammation caused by chronic nerve pain alters activity in regions that regulate mood and motivation, suggesting for the first time that a direct biophysical link exists between long-term pain and the depression, anxiety and substance abuse seen in more than half of these patients, UC Irvine and UCLA researchers report.

9 Jun 2015

Stemedica receives FDA's IND approval for itMSC Phase IIa clinical trial to treat Alzheimer's disease

Stemedica Cell Technologies, Inc. received the FDA's investigational new drug (IND) approval for a United States-based, Phase IIa clinical study using its allogeneic stem-cell therapy to treat subjects with mild to moderate dementia due to Alzheimer's disease (AD), the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.

9 Jun 2015

Carbon monoxide may actually protect the brain from damage after subarachnoid hemorrhage

Carbon monoxide is known by many as a poisonous gas that causes brain injury and other neurological symptoms, including memory loss and confusion. But a new study led by investigators at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center suggests the opposite may be true: When administered in small, carefully controlled amounts, carbon monoxide may actually protect the brain from damage following subarachnoid hemorrhage, a devastating stroke that results from bleeding in the brain.

27 May 2015

Canadian researchers shed light on molecular dynamics of chronic pain

Chronic pain affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide and is a major cause of disability, causing more disability than cancer and heart disease. Canadian researchers, including Michael Salter at SickKids are shedding light on the molecular dynamics of chronic pain. They have uncovered a critical role for a class of cells present in the brain and spinal cord, called microglia, in pain.

27 May 2015

Immune system plays surprising role in the progression of Rett syndrome

New research by investigators at the University of Massachusetts Medical School suggests the immune system plays an unsuspected and surprising role in the progression of Rett syndrome, a severe neurological disorder affecting children. Immune cells known as macrophages are unable to perform their normal function and are instead amplifying the disease.

11 May 2015

UVA research identifies new role of immune system in Rett syndrome

The immune system is designed to protect us from disease. But what if it was malfunctioning? Would it make a disease worse? That appears to be the case with Rett syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder, and possibly in other neurological disorders as well, new research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine has found.

22 Apr 2015

Microglia News and Research

Cancer drug may protect kidneys from damage caused by chemotherapy agent cisplatin

High-fat diet appears to prompt immune cells to start consuming connections between neurons

Harnessing the brain's immune system to combat Alzheimer's disease

New research may have profound impact on future development of anti-depressant medications

Discovery may lead to new anti-metastasis therapies for advanced-stage brain cancer patients

Single drop of blood in the brain can activate autoimmune response akin to multiple sclerosis

IU-led scientists discover new gene that increases Alzheimer's disease risk

Researchers identify role of microglia during early stages of Alzheimer's disease

Stanford researchers identify iron-containing microglia in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease

New NEI study shows that microglia can accelerate damage wrought by blinding eye disorders

New research reveals that male and female mice use different cells to process pain

Potential new class of drugs lessen neurodegeneration in rat model of Parkinson's disease

Drug discovery experts receive £3m to find new treatments for Alzheimer's disease

New research shows that low glycemic index diets reduce autism symptoms in mice

Study suggests direct biophysical link between chronic pain, depression and anxiety

Stemedica receives FDA's IND approval for itMSC Phase IIa clinical trial to treat Alzheimer's disease

Carbon monoxide may actually protect the brain from damage after subarachnoid hemorrhage

Canadian researchers shed light on molecular dynamics of chronic pain

Immune system plays surprising role in the progression of Rett syndrome

UVA research identifies new role of immune system in Rett syndrome

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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

From Puberty to Menopause: Clue’s CEO, Audrey Tsang on the Power of Femtech

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