Epilepsy News and Research

Latest Epilepsy News and Research

Neuroscience professor receives Institutes of Health Director's New Innovator Award

Leon Reijmers, PhD, assistant professor of neuroscience at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, is one of 55 recipients of the National Institutes of Health Director's New Innovator Award. Reijmers is investigating the way memories are stored in the brain, specifically focusing on the proteins involved in long-term memory storage.

25 Sep 2009

Non-accredited education programs for people with chronic disabilities

iMedicor (VMCI.OB) formerly Vemics, Inc. and EP Global Communications (EPGL.OB) have announced the renewal of their strategic alliance agreement to produce Continuing Medical Education (CME) and non-accredited education programs for people with special needs and life long chronic disabilities. iMedicor/Vemics and EP Global Communications have worked together for a number of years and this relationship has generated substantial revenue for both companies and has provided a valuable service to the community they serve.

25 Sep 2009

Study on mitochondria function

For such crucial biological actors, much remains unknown about exactly how mitochondria function. A new study, published Aug. 12 in the online journal PLoS One, sheds light on mitochondrial biology. Using genetic engineering, researchers interrupted the activity of individual genes directly involved in the production of energy within mitochondria. "If we knock down the function of specific system components, what happens?" said study leader Marni J. Falk, M.D., who directs the Mitochondrial-Genetics Disease Clinic at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "Our ultimate goal is to translate the knowledge into targeted therapies, that is, effective ways to intervene. But first we need to understand the underlying disease mechanisms."

25 Sep 2009

FDA committees to review Neuromed’s NDA for Exalgo

CombinatoRx, Incorporated (NASDAQ: CRXX) and Neuromed Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately-held biopharmaceutical company, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has posted on its website briefing documents for the September 23, 2009 joint meeting of its Anesthetics and Life Support Advisory Committee and its Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee.

23 Sep 2009

MRS could be effective for identifying diabetes

Researchers have long suspected that overweight people tend to have large fat deposits in their pancreases, but they've been unable to confirm or calculate how much fat resides there because of the organ's location.

22 Sep 2009

Lundbeck offers Sabril for treating children with infantile spasms in the U.S.

Lundbeck Inc. (“Lundbeck”), a wholly owned subsidiary of H. Lundbeck A/S in Denmark (Copenhagen: LUN), announced today that Sabril® (vigabatrin) Tablets and Powder for Oral Solution are now available for prescribing in the United States.

22 Sep 2009

Anavex completes manufacturing of Alzheimer's disease drug ANAVEX 2-73 for its clinical trials

Anavex Life Sciences Corp., ("ANAVEX") (OTCBB: AVXL) today announced the completion of scale-up manufacturing of ANAVEX 2-73, its lead compound for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

21 Sep 2009

Researchers link plasticity related gene-1 to lipid phosphates

In mice that are missing a protein found only in the brain, neural signals "go crazy," leaving the animals with epileptic seizures from a young age, researchers have found. The report in the September 18th Cell, a Cell Press publication, details what it is that happens when the protein encoded by plasticity related gene-1 (PRG-1) gets lost, revealing an important fine-tuning mechanism for brain function.

18 Sep 2009

PIPC supports new comparative effectiveness research proposal

The Partnership to Improve Patient Care (PIPC), a non-partisan, patient- focused, grassroots organization focused on securing patient-centered comparative effectiveness research (CER) voiced its strong support of the comparative effectiveness research provisions in Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus’s health reform proposal released today.

17 Sep 2009

Mechanism during sleep responsible for memory formation identified

A Rutgers University, Newark and Coll-ge de France, Paris research team has pinpointed for the first time the mechanism that takes place during sleep that causes learning and memory formation to occur.

16 Sep 2009

Neurologix to showcase novel gene transfer approach to Parkinson’s disease

Neurologix, Inc. (OTCBB: NRGX), a biotechnology company engaged in the development of innovative gene therapies for the brain and central nervous system, announced today that the company will showcase its novel gene transfer approach to Parkinson’s disease.

15 Sep 2009

Children with microcephaly should be screened for neurologic and cognitive problems, says guideline

A new guideline from the American Academy of Neurology, developed in full collaboration with the Child Neurology Society, finds that children with microcephaly that is, children whose head size is smaller than that of 97 percent of childrenare at risk of neurologic and cognitive problems and should be screened for these problems. The guideline is published in the September 15, 2009, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

15 Sep 2009

Natus Medical to purchase Alpine Biomed Holdings

Natus Medical Incorporated today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Alpine Biomed Holdings Corp in a transaction that is expected to close today.

14 Sep 2009

METOZOLV drug approved for treating gastroesophageal reflux disease

Wilmington Pharmaceuticals announced today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted marketing approval for METOZOLV ODT (metoclopramide HCl), an orally disintegrating formulation of metoclopramide for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and diabetic gastroparesis.

10 Sep 2009

FDA approves Salix' METOZOLV ODT for treating diabetic gastroparesis

Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. (NASDAQ:SLXP) today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted marketing approval for METOZOLV™ ODT (metoclopramide HCl) 5mg and 10mg orally disintegrating tablets. METOZOLV ODT is indicated for the relief of symptoms in adults associated with acute and recurrent diabetic gastroparesis and for the treatment of short-term therapy (4-12 weeks) for adults with symptomatic documented gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) who fail to respond to conventional therapy1.

9 Sep 2009

Cognitive abilities decline more for people with Alzheimer's disease due to infections

Getting a cold, stomach bug or other infection may lead to increased memory loss in people with Alzheimer's disease, according to research published in the September 8, 2009, print issue of Neurology-, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

8 Sep 2009

Over 2,800 people worldwide have died from H1N1, WHO reports

The WHO on Friday announced the H1N1 (swine) flu virus has killed at least 2,837 people - the result of an continued increase in the number of H1N1 cases worldwide, not the virulence of the virus, Reuters reports. "There is no sense that the virus has mutated or changed in any sense," WHO spokesperson Gregory Hartl said during a news conference (Nebehay/MacInnis, 9/4).

5 Sep 2009

Children International distributes free wheelchairs to physically disabled children in Ecuador

For 10-year-old Jessica, who struggles with muscular dystrophy and epilepsy that make her life on the steep mountainside above Quito, Ecuador extremely difficult, her new wheelchair is priceless!

4 Sep 2009

Sepracor to be acquired by Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma for $2.6 billion

Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd. (“DSP”, TSE: 4506) and Sepracor Inc. (“Sepracor”, Nasdaq: SEPR) today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement pursuant to which DSP will acquire Sepracor for approximately $2.6 billion through a cash tender offer of $23.00 per share, followed by a merger to acquire all remaining outstanding Sepracor shares at the same price paid in the tender offer.

3 Sep 2009

New method for treating hand disorder discovered

Researchers in the Department of Orthopaedics at Stony Brook University Medical Center have developed an injectable form of the enzyme, collagenase, that significantly improves outcomes of Dupuytren's contracture (or disease), a debilitating disorder caused by progressive accumulation of collagen that deforms fingers and limits motion. Reported in September 3, 2009, issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, the study involved treatment of 308 patients with Duputren's disease in 16 sites nationwide. The results indicate that the injections are safe and effective.

3 Sep 2009