Nervous System News and Research

Latest Nervous System News and Research

Enrollment begins in Phase 2 trial of RegeneRx’s RGN-259 in dry eye associated with graft vs. host disease

RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that the first patient has been screened and is being enrolled in a Phase 2 clinical trial testing the Company's drug candidate RGN-259 in patients with dry eye associated with graft vs. host disease. The double-blind, placebo-controlled, investigator-sponsored trial is expected to enroll a total of 20 patients over the next several months, with data reported later in 2011. RGN-259 is a sterile, preservative-free topical eye drop formulation of the novel therapeutic peptide Thymosin beta 4, or Tβ4.

23 Dec 2010

FDA approves Novartis' Amturnide for treatment of high blood pressure

Today Novartis announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Amturnide (aliskiren, amlodipine and hydrochlorothiazide) tablets for the treatment of high blood pressure. Amturnide combines the only approved direct renin inhibitor worldwide, Tekturna (aliskiren), with the widely used calcium channel blocker amlodipine and the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ).

23 Dec 2010

Novel method to analyze fatigue through speech

What can scientists learn from watching a group of people sitting around, chatting, playing movies, reading, and happily making new friends? Quite a lot, says University of Melbourne, Australia acoustician Adam Vogel, who carefully observed this sort of group in a fatigue management study he and his colleagues describe this month in The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

22 Dec 2010

Researchers perform cord blood cell transplantation to treat child with ischemic brain injury

In three monthly injections, researchers transplanted neurally-committed, autologous cord blood derived cells tagged with iron oxide nanoparticles into the lateral cerebral ventricle of a 16-month old child with severe global hypoxic ischemic brain injury.

22 Dec 2010

Gene changes during brain development can lead to male genitalia formation in female embryo

Australian scientists have discovered that changes to a gene involved in brain development can lead to testis formation and male genitalia in an otherwise female embryo.

22 Dec 2010

Arena, Eisai complete lorcaserin NDA end-of-review meeting with FDA

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Eisai Inc. announced today the completion of an end-of-review meeting with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the lorcaserin New Drug Application (NDA).

22 Dec 2010

Maternal prenatal supplements boost child's intellectual and motor function

In an area where iron deficiency is prevalent, children of mothers in rural Nepal who received prenatal iron, folic acid and vitamin A supplementation performed better on measures of intellectual and motor functioning compared to offspring of mothers who received vitamin A alone, according to a study in the December 22/29 issue of JAMA.

22 Dec 2010

New research sheds light on how neurons make connections with one another

Newly published research led by Professor Z. Josh Huang, Ph.D., of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory sheds important new light on how neurons in the developing brain make connections with one another.

22 Dec 2010

Ramius/RP Group extend tender offer to acquire Cypress Bioscience

Ramius V&O Acquisition LLC, affiliates of Ramius LLC (collectively, "Ramius") and affiliates of Royalty Pharma (together with Ramius and Purchaser, the "Ramius/RP Group") announced today that the Ramius/RP Group is extending its previously announced tender offer to acquire all of the outstanding shares of common stock of Cypress Bioscience, Inc., a pharmaceutical company engaged in the development of innovative drugs to treat central nervous system (CNS) disorders, until Midnight, January 5, 2011, unless the offer is otherwise extended.

22 Dec 2010

Prenatal iron-folic acid supplementation increases intellectual, motor function in children

In developing countries where iron deficiency is prevalent, prenatal iron-folic acid supplementation increased offspring intellectual and motor functioning during school age, according to researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

22 Dec 2010

Whites with mutations more likely to be susceptible to cocaine abuse

Nearly one in five whites could carry a genetic variant that substantially increases their odds of being susceptible to severe cocaine abuse, according to new research.

21 Dec 2010

Gilenya offers more benefits for MS therapy than previously realized

In September, patients suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) received the welcome news that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had approved a promising new drug for their condition called Gilenya. Now, a team from The Scripps Research Institute has discovered that this drug's success may involve an unexpected biological mechanism acting within the central nervous system (CNS). This difference may mean that Gilenya offers even more benefits than previously realized and would represent the first MS therapy with direct CNS activities.

21 Dec 2010

Recent study finds racial and ethnic minority smokers of menthol cigarettes have lower quit rate

Menthol cigarettes may be harder to quit, particularly for some teens and African-Americans, who have the highest menthol cigarette use, according to a study by a team of researchers.

21 Dec 2010

Study: Chemotherapy can improve survival rate in older adolescents with leukemia

Research led by St. Jude Children-s Research Hospital investigators will likely impact how acute lymphoblastic leukemia is treated in young adults and shows older adolescent age does not dictate worse outcomes against the most common childhood cancer.

21 Dec 2010

Biogen Idec acquires Neurimmune subsidiary

Biogen Idec and Neurimmune Holding AG today announced that Biogen Idec has acquired a subsidiary of Neurimmune, which includes the world-wide rights to three pre-clinical immunotherapy programs. The three programs are focused on the discovery and development of novel human antibodies that address three central nervous system (CNS) targets: alpha-synuclein, tau and TDP-43.

21 Dec 2010

VistaGen reports successful completion of AV-101 Phase 1 safety study for neuropathic pain

VistaGen Therapeutics, Inc., a stem cell technology company focused on drug discovery and development, today announced the successful completion of its initial Phase 1 safety study of AV-101, the Company's novel orally available prodrug candidate for treatment of neuropathic pain. Neuropathic pain, a serious and chronic condition causing pain after an injury or disease of the peripheral or central nervous system, affects approximately 1.8 million people in the U.S.

20 Dec 2010

Lilly completes acquisition of Avid

Eli Lilly and Company today announced that it has completed the acquisition of Avid Radiopharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held company developing novel molecular imaging compounds intended for the detection and monitoring of chronic human diseases. The transaction, first announced on November 8, 2010, has received the approval of Avid stockholders and clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act. All other closing conditions have also been met.

20 Dec 2010

Forest acquires all rights held by Gruenenthal for colistin

The Gruenenthal Group and Forest Laboratories, Inc., today announced that Forest Healthcare B.V., a wholly owned subsidiary of Forest Laboratories, Inc. and Gruenenthal GmbH, have entered into an agreement whereby Forest has acquired all rights currently held by Gruenenthal for colistin and all rights previously licensed by Forest to Gruenenthal for Colobreathe.

20 Dec 2010

Arrowhead launches new company, Ablaris to commercialize novel weight loss technology

Arrowhead Research Corporation today announced that it has executed an exclusive world-wide license on technology developed by Drs. Wadih Arap and Renata Pasqualini at MD Anderson Cancer Center for use in weight loss and obesity-related metabolic conditions, and that it has launched a new company, Ablaris Therapeutics Inc., to commercialize this platform.

20 Dec 2010

Exciting progress made in MS research during 2010

Exciting advances were made in 2010 in virtually every field of MS research. Progress toward finding new therapies for MS is illustrated by the availability of the first oral disease-modifying therapy for MS. Progress was also made toward finding ways to restore function and improving quality of life and specific MS symptoms through exercise, meditation, rehabilitation and medications, including the first therapy specifically approved to treat a symptom of MS (Ampyra).

20 Dec 2010

Nervous System News and Research

Latest Nervous System News and Research

Enrollment begins in Phase 2 trial of RegeneRx’s RGN-259 in dry eye associated with graft vs. host disease

FDA approves Novartis' Amturnide for treatment of high blood pressure

Novel method to analyze fatigue through speech

Researchers perform cord blood cell transplantation to treat child with ischemic brain injury

Gene changes during brain development can lead to male genitalia formation in female embryo

Arena, Eisai complete lorcaserin NDA end-of-review meeting with FDA

Maternal prenatal supplements boost child's intellectual and motor function

New research sheds light on how neurons make connections with one another

Ramius/RP Group extend tender offer to acquire Cypress Bioscience

Prenatal iron-folic acid supplementation increases intellectual, motor function in children

Whites with mutations more likely to be susceptible to cocaine abuse

Gilenya offers more benefits for MS therapy than previously realized

Recent study finds racial and ethnic minority smokers of menthol cigarettes have lower quit rate

Study: Chemotherapy can improve survival rate in older adolescents with leukemia

Biogen Idec acquires Neurimmune subsidiary

VistaGen reports successful completion of AV-101 Phase 1 safety study for neuropathic pain

Lilly completes acquisition of Avid

Forest acquires all rights held by Gruenenthal for colistin

Arrowhead launches new company, Ablaris to commercialize novel weight loss technology

Exciting progress made in MS research during 2010

Clue's CEO Rhiannon White on the Future of Femtech and PCOS

Freezing Point Osmometry in Life Science Applications

Precision in every drop: Inside Hamilton’s syringe technology

Nervous System News and Research

Latest Nervous System News and Research

Clue's CEO Rhiannon White on the Future of Femtech and PCOS

Freezing Point Osmometry in Life Science Applications

Precision in every drop: Inside Hamilton’s syringe technology

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