Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Latest Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Ligand Pharmaceuticals acquires Neurogen

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated announced today that it has completed the acquisition of Neurogen Corporation, following approval of the transaction by Neurogen stockholders earlier today. As a result, Ligand gains a fully funded partnership with Merck & Co., additional pipeline assets, drug discovery resources and additional cash balances.

23 Dec 2009

Protective benefits of Alzheimer's and cancer may lead to new diagnostic treatments

People who have Alzheimer's disease may be less likely to develop cancer, and people who have cancer may be less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study published in the December 23, 2009, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

23 Dec 2009

US Phase 2 clinical trial of RVX-208 commenced by Resverlogix

Resverlogix Corp. ("Resverlogix" or the "Company") announced today that it has begun dosing patients in its US Phase 2 clinical trial lead by Cleveland Clinic. This trial will examine RVX-208, Resverlogix's oral small molecule therapy for the treatment of atherosclerosis, in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD).

23 Dec 2009

Proline repeats make teeth strong and resilient

A simple amino acid that is repeated in the center of proteins found in tooth enamel makes teeth stronger and more resilient, according to new research at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

22 Dec 2009

Medical students from TCOM offer health screening for homeless

Medical students from the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (TCOM) offered a health screening for the homeless Friday, Dec. 11, in an effort to give back to the people of Tarrant County.

22 Dec 2009

Common variations in genes associated with microcephaly may explain differences in brain size

A group of Norwegian and American researchers have shown that common variations in genes associated with microcephaly - a neuro-developmental disorder in which brain size is dramatically reduced - may explain differences in brain size in healthy individuals as well as in patients with neurological and psychiatric disorders.

22 Dec 2009

PDL BioPharma enters into non-exclusive license agreement with Eli Lilly

PDL BioPharma, Inc. today announced that it has entered into a non-exclusive license agreement with Eli Lilly and Company under PDL's Queen et al patents with respect to teplizumab, a humanized anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody, as well as other potential next generation anti-CD3 molecules.

22 Dec 2009

Intra-Cellular Therapies announces results of its ITI-007 antipsychotic drug Phase I study

Intra-Cellular Therapies, Inc. (ITI) announced at a recent conference on neuropsychiatric diseases the results from a recently completed Phase I clinical study demonstrating ITI-007, the Company's lead antipsychotic drug, interacts with important targets in the living human brain. These key targets are critical to drug action in many neuropsychiatric and related disorders.

21 Dec 2009

Data released by CIHI supports CNA's vision on nursing and health

A growing number of registered nurses (RNs) and nurse practitioners (NPs) are working in positions of first point of contact between patients and the health-care system, helping improve patient access to primary care and driving down wait times.

19 Dec 2009

UAB professors honored for scientific contributions and outstanding mentorship

Three University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) professors have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

18 Dec 2009

RRE-90 score: A new web-based tool to predict recurrent stroke risk

Scientists have developed a new web-based tool that may better predict whether a person will suffer a second stroke within 90 days of a first stroke, according to research published in the December 16, 2009, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

17 Dec 2009

People with higher Leptin levels have significantly reduced incidence of AD and dementia

This week’s issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (Dec 16) features a report on a long-term, prospective study of elderly, dementia-free individuals led by researchers from Boston University School of Medicine and the Framingham Heart Study focusing on the association between the protein hormone Leptin and the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

17 Dec 2009

Communication strategies can benefit dementia patients and caregivers

Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia represent an exponentially growing social and health care challenge for American families - not only family members who face the progressive brain disease, but also those who love them.

17 Dec 2009

High methionine diet may increase risk of dementia

A diet rich in methionine, an amino acid typically found in red meats, fish, beans, eggs, garlic, lentils, onions, yogurt and seeds, can possibly increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, according to a study by Temple researchers.

17 Dec 2009

Nanotherapeutics acquires Ramoplanin clinical program from Oscient Pharmaceuticals

Nanotherapeutics, Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company, announced that it has acquired in bankruptcy proceedings two late stage clinical programs: Ramoplanin from Oscient Pharmaceuticals Corporation and PRX-3140 from EPIX Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

16 Dec 2009

Reprints Desk signs distribution deals with seven STM journal publishers

Derycz Scientific, Inc., a company that is pioneering a fresh way of facilitating the flow of information from content publishers to enterprise customers and their constituents, today announced that wholly-owned subsidiary Reprints Desk, Inc. has signed distribution deals with seven additional scientific, technical and medical (STM) journal publishers, expanding the pay-per-view content available to Reprints Desk customers and enhancing the speed of delivery.

16 Dec 2009

Naurex commences dosing in its GLYX-13 Phase I clinical trial for treatment-resistant depression

Naurex Inc., a new clinical stage company developing innovative treatments for depression and other CNS disorders based on its novel GFPA NMDA receptor modulators, today announced that it has initiated a Phase I clinical trial of its lead compound GLYX-13 and has successfully dosed the first subjects in the study.

16 Dec 2009

Modulating PN aggregase pathway may offer hope for Alzheimer’s disease

Proteostasis Therapeutics announced today that modulating a key Proteostasis Network (PN) pathway may offer a novel approach to Alzheimer’s disease, a finding that was published in the journal Cell by its scientific founders Andrew Dillin, Ph.D., and Jeffery Kelly, Ph.D. The publication describes how regulation of an aggregase pathway reduced the neurodegenerative effects of beta amyloid aggregates that are a hallmark of the disease.

16 Dec 2009

Higher leptin levels associated with lower incidence of AD and dementia

Persons with higher levels of leptin, a protein hormone produced by fat cells and involved in the regulation of appetite, may have an associated reduced incidence of Alzheimer disease and dementia, according to a study in the December 16 issue of JAMA.

16 Dec 2009

University of Florida obtains stimulus grant to establish ataxia consortium

University of Florida neurologists are trying to change that with the help of a $1 million Challenge grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to establish a nationwide network of physician-scientists with expertise in clinical ataxia research.

16 Dec 2009