Neurodegenerative Disorder News and Research

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Medical researchers uncover a novel approach to treat Huntington's disease

Medical researchers may have uncovered a novel approach to treat an incurable and ultimately fatal neurodegenerative disease that affects hundreds of thousands of people.

3 Jun 2011

Insight into new prion formation

Unlocking the mechanisms that cause neurodegenerative prion diseases may require a genetic key, suggest new findings reported by University of Illinois at Chicago distinguished professor of biological sciences Susan Liebman.

27 May 2011

New research sheds light on common pathogenic mechanisms underlying Huntington's disease

New research sheds light on common pathogenic mechanisms shared by Huntington's disease (HD) and HD-like disorders. The study, published by Cell Press in the May 12, 2011, issue of the journal Neuron, uses a new transgenic mouse model for an HD-like disorder to unravel complex molecular events that drive disease pathology.

12 May 2011

Discovery of 4 new genes associated with Alzheimer's

In the largest study of its kind, researchers from a consortium led by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine and the University of Miami identified four new genes linked to Alzheimer's disease. Each gene individually adds to the risk of having this common form of dementia later in life. These new genes offer a portal into what causes Alzheimer's disease and is a major advance in the field.

3 Apr 2011

Discovery of potent class of anti-cancer compounds by Scripps Research and MIT scientists

Working as part of a public program to screen compounds to find potential medicines and other biologically useful molecules, scientists from The Scripps Research Institute and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have discovered an extremely potent class of potential anti-cancer and anti-neurodegenerative disorder compounds.

8 Mar 2011

Positive results from Harbor BioSciences' Triolex initial preclinical study for treatment of PD

Harbor BioSciences, Inc., which is investigating the use the company's proprietary compound Triolex as a treatment for Parkinson's disease with funding from The Michael J. Fox Foundation, announced positive results in initial preclinical studies.

23 Feb 2011

Scientists produce SR-3306 compound to protect brain cells from Parkinson's disease

Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have produced the first known compound to show significant effectiveness in protecting brain cells directly affected by Parkinson's disease, a progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disorder.

13 Feb 2011

Multi-national group of researchers announce launch of International Genomics of Alzheimer's Project

The launch of the International Genomics of Alzheimer's Project (IGAP) - a collaboration formed to discover and map the genes that contribute to Alzheimer's disease - was announced today by a multi-national group of researchers including Drs. Lindsay Farrer and Sudha Seshadri at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM). The collaborative effort, spanning universities from both sides of the Atlantic, will combine the knowledge, staff and resources of four consortia that work on Alzheimer's disease genetics.

2 Feb 2011

Vanderbilt researchers announce multi-national collaboration on Alzheimer's disease genetics

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and across the globe, announced today a multi-national collaboration to discover and map all genes relating to Alzheimer's disease through the formation of the International Genomics of Alzheimer's Project.

1 Feb 2011

Global consortium aims to discover and map all Alzheimer's genes

The launch of the International Genomics of Alzheimer's Project (IGAP) – a collaboration formed to discover and map the genes that contribute to Alzheimer's disease – was announced today by a multi-national group of researchers. The collaborative effort, spanning universities from both Europe and the United States, will combine the knowledge, staff and resources of four consortia that conduct research on Alzheimer's disease genetics.

1 Feb 2011

Boston Scientific announces acquisition of Intelect Medical

Boston Scientific Corporation today announced it has acquired Intelect Medical, Inc., a development-stage company located in Boston. Intelect Medical is developing advanced neuromodulation technologies for deep brain stimulation therapy.

5 Jan 2011

Over expression of transcription factor improves neurological function in HD transgenic mice models

Over expressing a transcription factor that promotes the increase in number of mitochondria greatly improves the neurological function of transgenic mice models for Huntington's disease, researchers today told the American Society of Cell Biology's 50th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia.

15 Dec 2010

Chronic high fat cholesterol diet may lead to Alzheimer's disease

Research from the Laboratory of Psychiatry and Experimental Alzheimers Research at the Medical University Innsbruck (Austria) demonstrated that chronic high fat cholesterol diet in rats exhibited pathologies similar to Alzheimer's disease. The results were published in Molecular Cellular Neuroscience with lead author Dr. Christian Humpel. The study was co-authored by PhD students, Celine Ullrich and Michael Pirchl, from the same Laboratory.

24 Nov 2010

Boston Scientific announces first implantation of Vercise Deep Brain Stimulation System in Parkinson's disease trial

Boston Scientific Corporation today announced the first implantation of its Vercise™ Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) System as part of the VANTAGE clinical trial. VANTAGE is a multi-center, prospective trial designed to examine the improvement of motor function in approximately 40 European patients implanted with the Vercise DBS System for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

10 Nov 2010

Early interference in entorhinal cortex may halt progression of Alzheimer's disease

New research is helping to unravel the events that underlie the "spread" of Alzheimer's disease (AD) throughout the brain. The research, published by Cell Press in the November 4th issue of the journal Neuron, follows disease progression from a vulnerable brain region that is affected early in the disease to interconnected brain regions that are affected in later stages. The findings may contribute to design of therapeutic interventions as targeting the brain region where AD originates would be simpler than targeting multiple brain areas.

4 Nov 2010

Scientists identify events that causes AD progression

Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease (GIND) have offered new information about the events that underlie the "spread" of Alzheimer's disease (AD) throughout the brain.

4 Nov 2010

OHSU to lead next phase of HuCNS-SC trial for NCL in children

Oregon Health & Science University Doernbecher Children's Hospital will lead the next phase of a landmark clinical trial to further assess the safety and preliminary effectiveness of purified human neural stem cells (HuCNS-SC-) as a potential treatment for infantile or late-infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL), a rare and currently fatal neurodegenerative disorder that affects infants and children.

30 Oct 2010

StemCells initiates HuCNS-SC second clinical trial for Batten disease in children

StemCells, Inc. announced today that it has initiated a second clinical trial of its HuCNS-SC product candidate (purified human neural stem cells) in neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL, also often referred to as Batten disease), a fatal neurodegenerative disorder in children.

29 Oct 2010

UCI scientists receive CIRM grants to improve stem cell treatments

UC Irvine scientists will receive grants totaling $9.35 million to help create stem cell treatments for retinitis pigmentosa, Huntington's disease and traumatic brain injury.

25 Oct 2010

Researchers develop STAND-Map framework to promote accurate diagnosis of dementia

A new Mayo Clinic study may help physicians differentially diagnose three common neurodegenerative disorders in the future. The study will be presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease on July 11 in Vienna.

27 Sep 2010