Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

Latest Alzheimer's & Dementia News and Research

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

Tarenflurbil drug does not appear to benefit Alzheimer’s patients

Although there were promising results in a phase 2 trial, patients with mild Alzheimer disease who received the drug tarenflurbil as part of a phase 3 trial did not have better outcomes on measures of cognitive decline or loss of activities of daily living compared to patients who received placebo, according to a study in the December 16 issue of JAMA.

15 Dec 2009

New technique may help diagnose treatments for Alzheimer's, diabetes and cancer

Chemists and biologists from the University of Bath have developed a new technique that could be used to diagnose and develop treatments for age-related conditions like Alzheimer's disease, diabetes and cancer.

15 Dec 2009

Cerebrospinal fluid signature and PiB imaging help predict Alzheimer's disease

Early Alzheimer's disease detected by a compound that binds to brain plaques appears likely to progress into symptomatic Alzheimer's disease with dementia, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

15 Dec 2009

Mutant ATPase blocks autophagy partway and causes multi-tissue degenerative disease

It's important to finish what you start, say Jeong-Sun Ju and researchers from Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis. In the December 14, 2009 issue of the Journal of Cell Biology (www.jcb.org), Ju et al. reveal how a mutant ATPase blocks autophagy partway through to cause a multi-tissue degenerative disease.

15 Dec 2009

Cancer patients with dementia have lower survival rate than patients with cancer alone, says study

A new study published by researchers from the University of Georgia and the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla., has found that cancer patients with dementia have a dramatically lower survival rate than patients with cancer alone, even after controlling for factors such as age, tumor type and tumor stage.

15 Dec 2009

Modifications to Phase II study AD201 and open label extension study AD251 for ELND005 notified

Elan Corporation, plc and Transition Therapeutics, Inc. today notified clinical investigators of modifications to the Phase II study AD201 and open label extension study AD251 for ELND005, a compound being developed for the potential treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

15 Dec 2009

Sword Diagnostics receives patent on improved sensitivity technology for detection of biological organisms

Sword Diagnostics, Inc. is pleased to announce that the United States Patent Office (USPTO) has issued patent number 7,599,057 titled "Method and Apparatus for Detection of Biological Organisms using Raman Scattering" to the company.

15 Dec 2009

Brain plaques associated with increased risk of Alzheimer's disease

Scientists have long assumed that amyloid brain plaques found in autopsies of Alzheimer's patients are harmful and cause Alzheimer's disease. But autopsies of people with no signs of mental impairment have also revealed brain plaques, challenging this theory.

15 Dec 2009

ZYPREXA RELPREVV approved by FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ZYPREXA RELPREVV (olanzapine) For Extended Release Injectable Suspension for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults, Eli Lilly and Company announced today.

14 Dec 2009

Scientists present new research on adipocyte regulation

The ninth Colloque Médecine et Recherche of la Fondation Ipsen devoted to Endocrinology, held in Paris on December 4, 2009, has reviewed the recent progress in understanding the regulation of fat storage in the body and the consequences of the breakdown of this regulation.

14 Dec 2009

At the Crossroads: A guide to Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and driving

Every 70 seconds, someone develops Alzheimer’s disease.¹ In conjunction with National Older Driver Safety Awareness Week, Dec. 6-12, leading researchers are joining forces to encourage families to talk openly with loved ones about driving as soon as they are diagnosed with a form of dementia.

14 Dec 2009

Uppsala University Hospital orders CELDA from Likvor for diagnosing NPH

LinkMed’s portfolio company Likvor has received an order for Likvor CELDA™ from Uppsala University Hospital (Akademiska Universitetssjukhuset).

11 Dec 2009

Mouse study shows delaying the ageing process may offer protection against Alzheimer’s disease

Aging is the single greatest risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. In their latest study, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies found that simply slowing the aging process in mice prone to develop Alzheimer's disease prevented their brains from turning into a neuronal wasteland.

10 Dec 2009

GP Publishing releases "The Miracle of ViaViente"

GP Publishing has just released "The Miracle of ViaViente," authored by world renowned medical journalist Dr. Morton Walker.

10 Dec 2009

Schizophrenia: Once-monthly INVEGA SUSTENNA not inferior to bi-weekly RISPERDAL CONSTA

Treatment with once-monthly INVEGA® SUSTENNA(TM) is not inferior to treatment with bi-weekly RISPERDAL® CONSTA®, according to new data from a comparative study of both treatments in patients with schizophrenia. Results of the 13-week clinical trial were released this week.

10 Dec 2009

Vitamin K2 in Hawaiian Spirulina Pacifica

Cyanotech Corporation, a world leader in microalgae-based, high-value nutrition and health products, today announced its Hawaiian Spirulina Pacifica® has achieved another nutritional first. Already the most nutritious Spirulina in the world, it is also a good source of Vitamin K2.

10 Dec 2009

Eli Lilly provides financial guidance for 2010

At its annual meeting today with the investment community, Eli Lilly and Company highlighted how its innovation-based strategy will enable it to better serve patients and compete effectively in a challenging health care environment. The company also detailed the progress being made in its labs and across its five new business units on an expanding pipeline of innovative molecules and marketed medicines, and provided investors with the company's financial guidance for 2010.

10 Dec 2009

Cell transplants may yield new therapies for dementia patients

Nerve cells transplanted into brain-damaged rats helped them to fully recover their ability to learn and remember, probably by promoting nurturing, protective growth factors, according to a new study.

10 Dec 2009

Immune-based treatment promising for AD

The results of a new study on immune-based treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD), which was conducted at 30 sites around the country, will be published in the December 15 issue of Neurology®. Lead author, Stephen P. Salloway, MD, MS, director of the Butler Hospital Memory and Aging Program and a professor of neurology and psychiatry at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, says that this 18-month phase two study on slowing the disease process in Alzheimer's patients offers promising results.

10 Dec 2009