Nervous System News and Research

Latest Nervous System News and Research

SMT announces $10.5 million financing to develop novel device for use in TAVI procedures

SMT Research and Development Ltd. of Herzliya Pituach, Israel announced today a significant investment by OrbiMed Advisors LLC. SMT is finalizing the development of a novel embolic protection device designed for use during Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation procedures.

4 Apr 2011

AANS offers tips to prevent head injuries

The theme of 2011 National Neurosurgery Awareness Week, April 10-16, 2011, is There's Always Another Game, but You Only Have One Brain. NNAW is held annually in celebration of American Association of Neurological Surgeons Annual Scientific Meetings.

1 Apr 2011

ACADIA extends collaboration agreement with Allergan for drug discovery platform

ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc., a biopharmaceutical company utilizing innovative technology to fuel drug discovery and clinical development of novel treatments for central nervous system disorders, today announced that it has extended its drug discovery and development collaboration with Allergan, Inc.

1 Apr 2011

Researchers study role of acetylation in Alzheimer's disease

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have determined that a well-known chemical process called acetylation has a previously unrecognized association with one of the biological processes associated with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders. The findings were published in the latest issue of Nature Communications.

1 Apr 2011

Omeros announces outcome from OMS103HP Phase 3 study in patients undergoing ACL surgery

Omeros Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company committed to discovering, developing and commercializing products focused on inflammation, bleeding and disorders of the central nervous system, today reported the outcome from its Phase 3 program evaluating OMS103HP in patients undergoing arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery.

1 Apr 2011

Sleep apnea along with excessive daytime sleepiness elevates risk of death in older adults

A study in the April 1 issue of the journal SLEEP suggests that the risk of death is more than two times higher in older adults who have sleep apnea and report struggling with excessive daytime sleepiness.

1 Apr 2011

Merck's VICTRELIS phase III study results against HCV presented at EASL annual meeting

Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, announced results from several new data analyses from the pivotal Phase III studies evaluating the addition of its investigational oral protease inhibitor VICTRELIS to peginterferon alfa-2b and ribavirin in adult patients with chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 1 infection.

1 Apr 2011

New research sheds light on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

New research published today in The Journal of Physiology sheds light on areas of the brain thought to be the root cause of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome - the poorly understood condition also known as 'cot death'.

1 Apr 2011

Intuitive Surgical, Luna extend development and supply agreement

Luna Innovations Incorporated announced today that it has agreed with Intuitive Surgical, Inc., to extend its development efforts under its development and supply agreement with Intuitive towards further integrating Luna's shape sensing technology into Intuitive's products.

1 Apr 2011

AAN honors Mayo Clinic researcher with John Dystel Prize for MS work

The American Academy of Neurology is awarding the 2011 John Dystel Prize for Multiple Sclerosis Research to Brian G. Weinshenker, MD, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota and a Fellow with the AAN.

1 Apr 2011

Vanda to initiate tasimelteon Phase IIb/III clinical trial in Major Depressive Disorder

Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced its plans to initiate a Phase IIb/III clinical trial of tasimelteon in patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). The trial is expected to begin during the second half of 2011. Tasimelteon is currently being evaluated in Phase III clinical trials for the treatment of Non-24-Hour Sleep/Wake Disorder (N24HSWD) in blind individuals without light perception.

31 Mar 2011

Adeona reports $3,164,512 net revenue for 2010

Adeona Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a developer of innovative medicines for serious central nervous system diseases, reported its financial results for the year ended December 31, 2010, as well as updates since the beginning of the 4th quarter.

31 Mar 2011

Tips on neurobiology of learning

Everyone would like MDs to have the best education - and to absorb what they are taught. The lead article in the April 4 issue of the journal Academic Medicine connects research on how the brain learns to how to incorporate this understanding into real world education, particularly the education of doctors.

31 Mar 2011

DSP, Intercept enter license agreement for OCA

Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co, Ltd. and Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that they have entered into an exclusive licensing agreement for the development and commercialization of Intercept's first-in-class FXR agonist obeticholic acid.

30 Mar 2011

USPTO issues patent to Somaxon's Silenor food effect

Somaxon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued U.S. patent no. 7,915,307, entitled "Methods of Improving the Pharmacokinetics of Doxepin."

30 Mar 2011

Metabolic Solutions initiates MSDC-0602 Phase 2a trial in patients with type 2 diabetes

Metabolic Solutions Development Company, a drug discovery and development company exploiting novel molecular targets to treat metabolic diseases, announced today that it has launched a Phase 2a trial for MSDC-0602, the company's second drug candidate for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

30 Mar 2011

Study: Thyroid hormone deficiency can affect cone opsins and colour vision

Thyroid hormone controls the eye's visual pigments throughout life. What part does the thyroid gland have in vision? Thyroid hormone is crucially involved in controlling which visual pigment is produced in the cones. Previously, it was assumed that the colour sensitivity of the cones is fixed in the adult retina.

30 Mar 2011

Penn neurologist develops new approach for brain activity study

By combining sophisticated mathematical techniques more commonly used by spies instead of scientists with the power and versatility of functional magnetic resonance imaging, a Penn neurologist has developed a new approach for studying the inner workings of the brain.

29 Mar 2011

Atypical antipsychotics is a safe mental health medication for nursing home residents

Conventional antipsychotics, antidepressants and benzodiazepines often administered to nursing home residents are no safer than atypical antipsychotics and may carry increased risks, according to an article in CMAJ.

29 Mar 2011

Study: Marijuana use may affect cognitive skills in patients with MS

Any possible pain relief that marijuana has for people with multiple sclerosis may be outweighed by the drug's apparent negative effect on thinking skills, according to research published in the March 29, 2011, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

29 Mar 2011