Nervous System News and Research

Latest Nervous System News and Research

USPTO issues Notice of Allowance to Somaxon's Silenor patent application

Somaxon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced that it has received a Notice of Allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for claims in U.S. patent application no. 11/781,165.

23 Feb 2011

Forest Labs enters definitive merger agreement to acquire Clinical Data

Forest Laboratories, Inc. and Clinical Data, Inc. today announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement pursuant to which Forest will acquire Clinical Data, a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development of first-in-class and best-in-category therapeutics, for $30.00 per share in cash plus contingent consideration of up to $6.00 per share that may be paid upon achievement of certain commercial milestones related to Viibryd.

22 Feb 2011

KemPharm commences KP201 Phase 1 trial for pain

KemPharm, Inc. today announced that it has commenced a Phase 1 clinical trial in healthy volunteers with KP201, its novel abuse deterrent prodrug of hydrocodone for pain. KP201 is a new chemical entity and is the most advanced opioid-based lead candidate in KemPharm's emerging pipeline.

22 Feb 2011

Simple on-road tests can help determine safe driving after stroke

Many people want to keep driving after having a stroke, and many can do so safely. Simple tests in the office can help doctors determine who is more likely to be a safe driver after a stroke, according to research published in the February 22, 2011, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

22 Feb 2011

Middle-age people with cardiovascular issues may have increased risk of developing early memory problems

Middle-age men and women who have cardiovascular issues, such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure, may not only be at risk for heart disease, but for an increased risk of developing early cognitive and memory problems as well.

22 Feb 2011

Study: High triglyceride levels linked with increased risk of ischemic stroke

A study by researchers in Denmark revealed that increasing levels of non-fasting triglycerides are associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke in men and women. Higher cholesterol levels were associated with greater stroke risk in men only.

21 Feb 2011

Swedish neuroscientist demonstrates how brain produces sense of ownership of the body

Leave your body and shake hands with yourself, gain an extra limb or change into a robot for a while. Swedish neuroscientist Henrik Ehrsson has demonstrated that the brain's image of the body is negotiable. Applications stretch from touch-sensitive prostheses to robotics and virtual worlds.

21 Feb 2011

Amphetamines appear to increase risk of developing Parkinson's disease: New research

New research shows people who have used amphetamines such as benzedrine and dexedrine appear to be at an increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease, according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 63rd Annual Meeting in Honolulu April 9 to April 16, 2011.

20 Feb 2011

RegeneRx listed on MDB’s 'Best & Brightest' innovators for 2011

RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that the Company has been included on MDB Capital Group's "Best & Brightest" innovators list of 150 companies for 2011. Criterion for inclusion is a ranking in the 90th percentile for technology leadership from more than 1,500 companies with U.S. patents granted, as rated by PatentVest®, MDB's proprietary, intellectual property (IP), business intelligence database.

19 Feb 2011

How Huntington's disease proteins move from cell to cell

One bad apple is all it takes to spoil the barrel. And one misfolded protein may be all that's necessary to corrupt other proteins, forming large aggregations linked to several incurable neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington's, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

19 Feb 2011

U.S. FDA posts public health communication about metal-on-metal hip implants use in THA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration posted a public health communication this week about metal-on-metal hip components to notify the public of the concerns on the use of metal-on-metal hip components used in total hip arthroplasty.

18 Feb 2011

Researchers identify normal movement mechanisms of PrPC in brain

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified the motors that move non-infectious prion proteins (PrPC) - found within many mammalian cells - up and down long, neuronal transport pathways.

18 Feb 2011

Research shows possible link between warm weather and cognition in people with MS

People with multiple sclerosis may find it harder to learn, remember or process information on warmer days of the year, according to new research released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 63rd Annual Meeting in Honolulu April 9 to April 16, 2011.

18 Feb 2011

AAN honors three researchers with 2011 Potamkin Prize for dementia study

The American Academy of Neurology is awarding its 2011 Potamkin Prize to three researchers for their work in dementia. Dennis Dickson, MD, with the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, Eva Maria Mandelkow, MD, PhD, and Eckhard Mandelkow, PhD, both of the Max-Planck-Unit for Structural Molecular Biology in Hamburg, Germany, will receive the Award during the AAN's 63rd Annual Meeting in Hawaii, April 9 - 16, 2011.

17 Feb 2011

Acorda reports fourth quarter net revenue of $133.1 million for full year ended December 31, 2010

Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. today announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2010.

17 Feb 2011

First evidence of neurotrophic factors improving status of degenerating dopamine neurons in Parkinson's brains

Ceregene, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, reported today that its scientists and collaborators have published new experimental findings in support of its Parkinson's disease program which appeared as the lead article in the current issue of Movement Disorders. The publication reports the first evidence that gene transfer can provide targeted expression of a neurotrophic factor, i.e., neurturin or NRTN, intended to restore and preserve dying neurons.

17 Feb 2011

Amicus to present additional positive data from Amigal Phase 2 extension study for Fabry disease

Amicus Therapeutics today announced that additional positive data from the ongoing Phase 2 extension study of its investigational drug Amigal™ (migalastat HCl) for Fabry disease will be presented at the Lysosomal Disease Network WORLD Symposium in Las Vegas, Nevada, February 16-18th, 2011.

17 Feb 2011

Impaired brain insulin action may worsen type 2 diabetes

Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have discovered a novel function of brain insulin, indicating that impaired brain insulin action may be the cause of the unrestrained lipolysis that initiates and worsens type 2 diabetes in humans. The research is published this month in the journal Cell Metabolism.

17 Feb 2011

Vical announces issuance of U.S. Patent for cytomegalovirus vaccines

Vical Incorporated announced today the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 7,888,112 covering DNA vaccines for cytomegalovirus containing specific gene sequences and formulated with Vical's Vaxfectin adjuvant.

16 Feb 2011

Research: Way heart responds to early beat is predictive of cardiac death

The way the heart responds to an early beat is predictive of cardiac death, especially for people with no conventional markers of cardiovascular disease, according to new research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

16 Feb 2011