Neurodegeneration News and Research

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Neurodegeneration is the umbrella term for the progressive loss of structure or function of neurons, including death of neurons.

Study identifies genetic cause of developmental delay in Amish individuals in USA

Researchers from the research group in growth factors and cell differentiation at the University of Barcelona (UB) and the IDIBELL and have participated in an international study that has identified the genetic cause of developmental delay observed in Amish individuals in the USA.

15 Mar 2013

Phase 1b study of olesoxime initiated in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients

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14 Mar 2013

VCP gene mutations cause neurological conditions including IBMPFD and ALS

New research, published in Neuron, gives insight into how single mutations in the VCP gene cause a range of neurological conditions including a form of dementia called Inclusion Body Myopathy, Paget's Disease of the Bone and Frontotemporal Dementia (IBMPFD), and the motor neuron disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

14 Mar 2013

3-D structure of HNF-4α reveals new pockets that could be targeted with therapeutic drugs

Researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute have determined the complete three-dimensional structure of a protein called HNF-4α.

14 Mar 2013

Study demonstrates relationship between protein HERC2 and human diseases

Researchers from the research group in growth factors and cell differentiation at IDIBELL and the University of Barcelonahave participated in an international study that has identified the genetic cause of developmental delay observed in Amish individuals in the USA.

13 Mar 2013

ADP-ribose plays key role in repairing cellular DNA damage

Attaching chains of the small molecule ADP-ribose to proteins is important for a cell's survival and the repair of DNA damage, making this process a promising target for the development of new cancer drugs.

13 Mar 2013

Continuous dyskinesia monitoring technology for Parkinson’s to be developed by Great Lakes NeuroTechnologies

Great Lakes NeuroTechnologies (GLNT) announced today that they are launching commercialization and clinical studies to validate a system for objective, continuous monitoring of dyskinesias associated with Parkinson’s disease.

5 Mar 2013

Sanford-Burnham enters into partnership to test furin for treatment of dengue fever

Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute and 60- Pharmaceuticals, LLC, have entered into a partnership to test furin, a human proteinase, as a drug target for the treatment of dengue fever, one of the most common infectious diseases in the tropics and subtropics.

5 Mar 2013

Oxidative stress turns protein that protects healthy cells into executioner: Study

Oxidative stress turns a protein that normally protects healthy cells into their executioner, according to a study released today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal.

5 Mar 2013

Pivotal study of olesoxime in Spinal Muscular Atrophy receives positive interim review

Trophos SA, a clinical stage pharmaceutical company developing innovative therapeutics from discovery to clinical validation for under-served medical needs in neurology and cardiology, announced the completion of the interim analysis of the pivotal efficacy study of olesoxime in the rare neurodegenerative condition Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA).

1 Mar 2013

Cleveland Clinic receives $1.97M NIMH grant for innovative autism research

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has awarded $1.97 million for innovative autism research to Bruce Trapp, Ph.D., Chairman of Neurosciences at Cleveland Clinic's Lerner Research Institute.

26 Feb 2013

Targeting CSF1R with selective inhibitors could help Alzheimer's

Scientists from the University of Southampton have identified the molecular system that contributes to the harmful inflammatory reaction in the brain during neurodegenerative diseases.

22 Feb 2013

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs): an interview with Dr Marco Timmers, CSO at Synthon Biopharmaceuticals

ADCs are used for a new type of targeted therapy that consists of a specific anti-cancer antibody or antibody fragment linked to a potent anti-cancer therapeutic.

20 Feb 2013

Tau release from healthy neurons can be regulated by neuronal activity

Researchers from King's College London have discovered that neuronal activity can stimulate tau release from healthy neurons in the absence of cell death.

16 Feb 2013

Protein-restricted diet supplemented with IGF-I may protect from Alzheimer's

Mice with many of the pathologies of Alzheimer's Disease showed fewer signs of the disease when given a protein-restricted diet supplemented with specific amino acids every other week for four months.

15 Feb 2013

Florida Hospital, Sanford-Burnham and Takeda renew research agreement

Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) and Florida Hospital announced today that they have renewed a research agreement with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Takeda) to extend their collaboration to discover and evaluate new therapeutic approaches to obesity. The collaboration uses a research and drug-development model that creates an early feedback loop in the discovery pipeline.

12 Feb 2013

Nitric oxide shuts down brain's repair mechanisms

Nitric oxide, a gaseous molecule produced in the brain, can damage neurons. When the brain produces too much nitric oxide, it contributes to the severity and progression of stroke and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. Researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute recently discovered that nitric oxide not only damages neurons, it also shuts down the brain's repair mechanisms.

5 Feb 2013

Scientists receive honorary doctorate for research on Alzheimer's disease

On Monday 4 February, Dennis J. Selkoe and five other "brain teasers" will receive an honorary doctorate from the KU Leuven. The promoters for this honorary doctorate - VIB-KU Leuven professors Bart De Strooper and Wim Robberecht - will honor Dennis J. Selkoe for his scientific insights, but also for his relentless search for new medicines to treat Alzheimer's Disease and other conditions that cause severe damage in the brain.

4 Feb 2013

PKCζ protein plays a critical role in regulating tumor metabolism

Cancer cells need food to survive and grow. They're very good at getting it, too, even when nutrients are scarce. Many scientists have tried killing cancer cells by taking away their favorite food, a sugar called glucose. Unfortunately, this treatment approach not only fails to work, it backfires-glucose-starved tumors actually get more aggressive.

2 Feb 2013

Researchers unveil first maturation-based ‘disease in a dish’ model for ARVD/C

Most patients with an inherited heart condition known as arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy (ARVD/C) don't know they have a problem until they're in their early 20s. The lack of symptoms at younger ages makes it very difficult for researchers to study how ARVD/C evolves or to develop treatments. A new stem cell-based technology created by 2012 Nobel Prize winner Shinya Yamanaka, M.D., Ph.D., helps solve this problem.

29 Jan 2013