Nervous System News and Research

Latest Nervous System News and Research

Endothelial cells can produce copious amounts of adult stem cells: Study

In a leap toward making stem cell therapy widely available, researchers at the Ansary Stem Cell Institute at Weill Cornell Medical College have discovered that endothelial cells, the most basic building blocks of the vascular system, produce growth factors that can grow copious amounts of adult stem cells and their progeny over the course of weeks.

5 Mar 2010

Recipients for 2010 Scholar Awards announced

The American Society of Hematology announces the 2010 recipients of its Scholar Awards. The program is designed to support hematologists who have chosen a career in research by providing partial salary or other support during that critical period required for completion of training and achievement of status as an independent investigator.

5 Mar 2010

Data evaluating safety, efficacy of STELARA and REMICADE in patients with plaque psoriasis to be presented

Data evaluating the efficacy and safety of STELARA™ (ustekinumab) and REMICADE® (infliximab) in patients with plaque psoriasis who had an inadequate response to Enbrel® (etanercept) will be presented at the 68th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) in Miami, Fla., from March 5-9, 2010.

5 Mar 2010

Risk of MS increases by many folds following infection with EBV: Study

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, and a team of collaborators have observed for the first time that the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) increases by many folds following infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).

5 Mar 2010

Isotechnika Pharma receives grant of $237,069 to support NICAM program

Isotechnika Pharma Inc. today announced that it has received funding approval from the National Research Council's Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) for its Non-Immunosuppressive Cyclosporin Analog Molecules (NICAM) program.

5 Mar 2010

'Fake pot' can cause hallucinations and seizures

In the last month, Anthony Scalzo, M.D., professor of toxicology at Saint Louis University, has seen nearly 30 cases involving teenagers who were experiencing hallucinations, severe agitation, elevated heart rate and blood pressure, vomiting and, in some cases, tremors and seizures.

4 Mar 2010

Zoraxel for treatment of ED: Rexahn Pharmaceuticals submits Phase IIb protocol to FDA

Rexahn Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical stage pharmaceutical company commercializing potential best in class oncology and CNS therapeutics, today announced that it has submitted a Phase IIb protocol to the FDA for ZoraxelTM for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED).

4 Mar 2010

Study indicates ocular shingles may increase stroke risk

Having a shingles infection that affects the eyes may increase the risk of stroke, according to new research published in the March 3, 2010, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

4 Mar 2010

Shock: Norepinephrine favored over dopamine

Physicians treating patients with shock should consider norepinephrine instead of dopamine as a tool for stabilizing blood pressure, according to an editorial in the March 4, 2010, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

3 Mar 2010

Toxins in K2: Saint Louis University professor warns parents to lookout for warning signs

3 Mar 2010

Scientists uncover vital clue that could steer research into nervous system disorders

Scientists at the Queensland Brain Institute have uncovered a vital clue into how the brain is wired, which could eventually steer research into nervous system disorders such as Parkinson's disease and cognitive disorders including autism.

3 Mar 2010

Clot-busting drug therapy after stroke beneficial for women

New research shows women who don't receive a clot-busting drug after a stroke fare worse than men who are not treated. The study is published in the March 2, 2010, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

2 Mar 2010

Scientists show omega-3 fatty acid and its derivatives kill neuroblastoma cancer cells

The next treatment for cancer might come from fish says a new research report published in the March 2010 print edition of the FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org). In the report, scientists show that the omega-3 fatty acid, "docosahexaenoic acid" or "DHA," and its derivatives in the body kill neuroblastoma cancer cells.

2 Mar 2010

Acorda Therapeutics' AMPYRA now available in the U.S. and Puerto Rico

Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that AMPYRA™ (dalfampridine) Extended Release Tablets, 10 mg is now available by prescription in the United States and Puerto Rico. AMPYRA was approved on January 22, 2010 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a treatment to improve walking in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). This was demonstrated by an increase in walking speed. AMPYRA is indicated for use in all types of MS, and can be used either alone or with existing therapies, including disease-modifying agents.

1 Mar 2010

Determining personal risk for genetic disorders essential

Genetic diseases affect an estimated 12 million Americans, yet according to a survey of 1,000 people conducted by the Genetic Disease Foundation (GDF), while two-thirds of those surveyed were willing to and saw the benefits of undergoing genetic testing, close to 80 percent had never talked to their physician about genetic screening – an inconsistency that can have serious implications on a person's overall health and the health of their immediate family members.

1 Mar 2010

Gaucher disease: FDA approves VPRIV

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved velaglucerase alfa for injection (VPRIV) to treat children and adults with a form of the rare genetic disorder Gaucher disease.

26 Feb 2010

Arena Pharmaceuticals' lorcaserin NDA: FDA assigns PDUFA date

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has assigned a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) date of October 22, 2010, for the review of the lorcaserin New Drug Application (NDA). The acceptance of the lorcaserin NDA filing confirms that the application is sufficiently complete to permit a substantive review, and the PDUFA date is the goal date for the FDA to complete its review of the NDA.

26 Feb 2010

Cause of multiple sclerosis: Researchers test autoimmune hypothesis

A non-pathogenic bacterium is capable to trigger an autoimmune disease similar to the multiple sclerosis in the mouse, the model animal which helps to explain how human diseases work. This is what a group of researchers from the Catholic University of Rome, led by Francesco Ria (Institute of General Pathology) and Giovanni Delogu (Institute of Microbiology), have explained for the first time in a recently published article on the Journal of Immunology.

26 Feb 2010

USPTO issues notice of allowance for Vanda Pharmaceuticals' Fanapt long-acting injectable formulation

Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced today that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued a notice of allowance for its patent application of a microsphere, long-acting injectable formulation of its antipsychotic product, Fanapt™ (iloperidone). When issued, this U.S. patent will expire on October 30, 2022, and in addition, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted a patent term adjustment of 300 days, leading to an effective expiration date of August 26, 2023.

26 Feb 2010

FDA sets new PDUFA action date for exenatide once weekly NDA

Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Eli Lilly and Company and Alkermes, Inc. today confirmed that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has set a new Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) action date of March 12 for its review of the exenatide once weekly new drug application (NDA).

25 Feb 2010