Neurodegenerative Diseases News and Research

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Three leading research funders join forces to support brain disease research

Three leading research funders from the UK and North America have joined forces to launch a new global initiative called MEND or, MEchanisms of cellular death in NeuroDegeneration, with a fund of $1.25 million USD (£820,000/$1.56CDN) for targeted research into brain diseases that cause dementia, such as Alzheimer's.

11 Feb 2015

Isis receives $5 million from Biogen Idec to develop drugs for neurological disorders

Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today it has earned a $5 million milestone payment from Biogen Idec associated with the validation of an undisclosed target to treat a neurological disorder under its broad strategic collaboration with Biogen Idec to develop drugs to treat patients with neurological disorders.

10 Feb 2015

Griffith research unlocks more about cancer

A research collaboration between Griffith and the Malaghan Institute in Wellington, New Zealand has made the discovery that mitochondria are capable of passing through the healthy membrane of a host cell into defective tumour cells, possibly kicking off the rapid proliferation of tumour cells which is the hallmark of cancer.

10 Feb 2015

Isis receives $10 million from Biogen Idec to begin IND-supporting studies of ISIS-BIIB4 Rx

Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that it has earned a $10 million milestone payment from Biogen Idec for initiating the investigational new drug (IND)-supporting studies of ISIS-BIIB4 Rx.

5 Feb 2015

Three Keck Medicine scientists of USC receive $4.3 million from CIRM for stem cell research

Three scientists from Keck Medicine of the University of Southern California have won grants exceeding $4.3 million from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine for research that includes creating a temporary liver for transplant patients, finding novel ways to treat immune disorders and blood diseases and developing a new animal model for exploring diseases like heart failure, diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases.

5 Feb 2015

Findings may lay foundation for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases

This story starts in 1955, upon the death of Albert Einstein, when the pathologist charged with performing the famous scientist's autopsy stole his brain.

3 Feb 2015

Scientists reveal mechanism underlying cellular degeneration of upper motor neurons

For the first time, scientists have revealed a mechanism underlying the cellular degeneration of upper motor neurons, a small group of neurons in the brain recently shown to play a major role in ALS pathology.

31 Jan 2015

Scientists identify strong link between beclin 1 gene and triple-negative breast cancer

UT Southwestern Medical Center scientists have identified a strong link between the most aggressive type of breast cancer and a gene that regulates the body's natural cellular recycling process, called autophagy.

30 Jan 2015

Scientists identify new molecular pathway that controls axonal degeneration following injury

Axons connect neurons with each other to form the neural networks that underpin the vital functions of perception, motility, cognition, and memory. In many neurodegenerative disorders, from traumatic injury or toxic damage to diseases such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease, axonal degeneration represents an essential pathological feature.

23 Jan 2015

Findings could lead to new therapeutic approach to Parkinson's disease

E.. coli usually brings to mind food poisoning and beach closures, but researchers recently discovered a protein in E.. coli that inhibits the accumulation of potentially toxic amyloids--a hallmark of diseases such as Parkinson's.

23 Jan 2015

Research findings may lead to new treatment for hypothyroidism

An international research team led by physician-scientists at Rush University Medical Center have gained new insights into hypothyroidism - a condition affecting about 10 million people in the U.S. - that may lead to new treatment protocols for the disease, particularly among the approximately 15 percent of patients for whom standard treatments are less effective.

14 Jan 2015

Biogen Idec, Columbia University Medical Center form $30 million genomics research alliance

Biogen Idec and Columbia University Medical Center have formed a $30 million strategic alliance to conduct genetics discovery research on the underlying causes of disease and to identify new treatment approaches. As part of this agreement, a sequencing and analysis facility and shared postdoctoral program will be established at Columbia to support collaborative genetics studies.

11 Jan 2015

Man-made insulin nasal spray may improve memory in adults with Alzheimer's-related dementia

A man-made form of insulin delivered by nasal spray may improve working memory and other mental capabilities in adults with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease dementia, according to a pilot study led by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

9 Jan 2015

Research findings could lead to new drug design for neurological diseases

A new intermediate step and unexpected enzymatic activity in a metabolic pathway in the body, which could lead to new drug design for psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases, has been discovered by researchers at Georgia State University.

8 Jan 2015

BrainStorm's phase 2a ALS study meets primary endpoint

BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc., a leading developer of adult stem cell technologies for neurodegenerative diseases, today announced positive final results from its phase 2a clinical trial of NurOwn™ in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients, which enrolled 14 subjects at Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem.

6 Jan 2015

Spark Therapeutics files Form S-1 registration statement for initial public offering of common stock

Spark Therapeutics announced today that it has filed a registration statement on Form S-1 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission relating to the proposed initial public offering of its common stock.

2 Jan 2015

Novastem uses Stemedica's stem cell products to treat patient in ischemic stroke study

Novastem, a leader in regenerative medicine, announces the treatment of its first patient in its study for ischemic stroke at Clinica Santa Clarita.

25 Dec 2014

Clinatec chairman receives Lifetime Achievement Award for breakthrough research on Parkinson's disease

Prof. Alim-Louis Benabid, board chairman of Clinatec - The Edmond J. Safra Biomedical Research Center, received the Lifetime Achievement award on Dec. 13 from the North American Neuromodulation Society (NANS) for his work in developing deep brain stimulation to relieve symptoms in Parkinson’s disease patients.

16 Dec 2014

New technique allows rapid, large-scale studies of gene function

Using a gene-editing system originally developed to delete specific genes, MIT researchers have now shown that they can reliably turn on any gene of their choosing in living cells.

11 Dec 2014

$Vaccinex completes VX15/2503 Phase 1 clinical trial in patients with advanced, refractory solid tumors$

Vaccinex completes VX15/2503 Phase 1 clinical trial in patients with advanced, refractory solid tumors

Vaccinex, Inc. today announced the successful completion of a multicenter Phase 1, multiple ascending dose clinical trial of VX15/2503 anti-Semaphorin 4D (SEMA4D) antibody in 42 adult patients with advanced, refractory solid tumors.

9 Dec 2014