Nervous System News and Research

Latest Nervous System News and Research

Nerve disorder expert Jack Griffin passes away

Jack Griffin, an internationally acclaimed and admired expert on diseases of the peripheral nervous system, founding director of the Johns Hopkins Brain Science Institute, and former director of Hopkins School of Medicine's Department of Neurology, died Saturday, April 16, after a long battle with bladder cancer. He was 69.

18 Apr 2011

Proteins could lead to new therapeutic target for NF2: Wistar Institute researchers

The proteins that provide cells with a sense of personal space could lead to a therapeutic target for Neurofibromatosis Type 2, an inherited cancer disorder, according to researchers at The Wistar Institute. Their findings, which appear in the April 12 issue of the journal Cancer Cell, could have profound implications for NF2 and related cancers, such as mesothelioma.

16 Apr 2011

Novocure receives FDA approval for NovoTTF-100A System to treat GBM

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved the NovoTTF-100A System, a new device to treat adults with glioblastoma multiforme that recurs or progresses after receiving chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

15 Apr 2011

Patients with RLS more likely to develop cardiovascular conditions

Results from a two-year retrospective cohort study presented at the 63rd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, Hawaii, U.S., showed that patients were significantly more likely to develop cardiovascular conditions, including hypertension, cardiac dysrhythmias and chronic ischemic heart diseases after an initial diagnosis of RLS, as compared to controls without RLS.

15 Apr 2011

Treatment of vascular risk factors may lower risk of Alzheimer's disease

Treating high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and other vascular risk factors may help lower the risk of Alzheimer's disease in people who already show signs of declining thinking skills or memory problems. The research is published in the April 13, 2011, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

15 Apr 2011

AAN, PDF honor Boston researcher with Clinician Scientist Development Award

A clinician scientist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston is receiving $240,000 to further his research into how stem cells may be used to treat Parkinson's disease through the American Academy of Neurology Foundation and the Parkinson's Disease Foundation Clinician Scientist Development Award in Parkinson's Disease Research.

15 Apr 2011

QRxPharma receives new U.S. Patent for MoxDuo IR in treatment of acute pain

QRxPharma Limited announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued the Company a new patent, U.S. Patent #7,923,453, which expires in 2029. This patent covers a proprietary dosing algorithm for converting patients from intravenous opioid administration to orally administered MoxDuo IR, thereby more effectively and safely managing acute pain following surgery.

15 Apr 2011

Perampanel drug can effectively treat seizures in patients with epilepsy

A new drug called perampanel appears to significantly reduce seizures in people with hard-to-control epilepsy, according to results of the first clinical trial to test the higher 12 mg dose of the drug.

15 Apr 2011

Teva presents new CNS products study data in RRMS, Parkinson's at AAN meeting

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. today announced that several new studies further support the efficacy and safety of the company's innovative central nervous system products.

12 Apr 2011

Positive outcomes from Gamma Knife Radiosurgery in posterior fossa meningiomas

Meningiomas are the most common benign intracranial tumors, and in individuals ages 35 and older, the most common type of brain tumor diagnosed. They most often occur in people between the ages of 40 and 70.

12 Apr 2011

Positive results from ULCA's Phase 1 dendritic cell vaccine trial in glioblastoma

A novel brain tumor vaccine clinical trial study demonstrates a longer survival time in patients with glioblastoma, according to findings being presented at the 79th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons in Denver.

12 Apr 2011

Insight into neurodegenerative diseases

For years, researchers in genome stability have observed that several neurodegenerative diseases-including Huntington's disease-are associated with cell-killing proteins that are created during expansion of a CAG/CTG trinucleotide repeat.

12 Apr 2011

Positive results from laquinimod Phase III ALLEGRO study in multiple sclerosis to be presented at AAN

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and Active Biotech announced today results from the two-year Phase III ALLEGRO study of laquinimod, an oral, once-daily, investigational immunomodulator for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). These data will be presented as late-breaking research at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN).

12 Apr 2011

Laquinimod drug greatly reduces number of relapses in patients with MS

The drug laquinimod reduced the number of relapses for people with multiple sclerosis, in a large, long-term Phase III clinical study that will be presented as late-breaking research at the 63rd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, April 9-16, 2011, in Honolulu.

12 Apr 2011

New guideline on most effective treatments for diabetic nerve pain

The American Academy of Neurology has issued a new guideline on the most effective treatments for diabetic nerve pain, the burning or tingling pain in the hands and feet that affects millions of people with diabetes. The guideline is published in the April 11, 2011, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, and will be presented April 11, 2011, at the American Academy of Neurology's Annual Meeting in Honolulu.

12 Apr 2011

New research: Pomegranate juice may help reduce blood pressure

New research shows that pomegranate juice may help to reduce blood pressure. The findings will be presented today at the 2011 Society for Endocrinology conference in Birmingham, UK.

12 Apr 2011

Epilepsy medication USL255 associated with less fluctuation in plasma levels compared to topiramate IR

Upsher-Smith Laboratories today announced the presentation of data indicating that once daily administration of USL255, a proprietary extended-release (ER) formulation of the epilepsy medication topiramate, was associated with less fluctuation in topiramate plasma levels compared to immediate-release (IR) topiramate administered twice daily in healthy volunteers.

12 Apr 2011

Vanda initiates Fanapt Phase I study in patients with schizophrenia

Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced today that Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, an affiliate of Vanda's sublicensor Novartis Pharma AG, has initiated a clinical study to evaluate the long-acting injectable formulation of Fanapt.

11 Apr 2011

Positive top-line results from Biogen BG-12 Phase 3 trial in RRMS

Biogen Idec announced today positive top-line results from DEFINE, the first of two pivotal Phase 3 clinical trials designed to evaluate the investigational oral compound BG-12 as a monotherapy in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

11 Apr 2011

Takeda, Heptares collaborate to develop new drugs against CNS disorders

Heptares Therapeutics and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company today announced the formation of a two-year drug discovery collaboration focused on a single G-protein coupled receptor that plays an important role in the pathology of central nervous system disorders.

11 Apr 2011