Nervous System News and Research

Latest Nervous System News and Research

Novel discovery offers hope for patients with common brain tumor

Biomedical researchers at the University of Central Florida have found a protein that could hold the key to treating one of the most common and aggressive brain tumors in adults.

23 Dec 2009

Arena Pharmaceuticals submits lorcaserin NDA to the FDA

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that it has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for lorcaserin, Arena's internally discovered and developed drug candidate for weight management, including weight loss and maintenance of weight loss. The submission is based on an extensive data package from lorcaserin's clinical development program that includes 18 clinical trials totaling 8,576 patients.

22 Dec 2009

PGxHealth, DHZ announce collaboration in genetic variant study with response to clopidogrel

PGxHealth, a division of Clinical Data, Inc., today announced that it has established a research collaboration with Deutsches Herzzentrum (DHZ), Munich, Germany, to evaluate the predictive value of genetic markers, including PGxHealth proprietary markers, for response to clopidogrel (Plavix®).

22 Dec 2009

FDA extends action date for its review of Cephalon's sNDA for NUVIGIL Tablets

Cephalon, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has extended the action date to March 29, 2010, for its review of the supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for NUVIGIL® (armodafinil) Tablets [C-IV].

22 Dec 2009

Intra-Cellular Therapies announces results of its ITI-007 antipsychotic drug Phase I study

Intra-Cellular Therapies, Inc. (ITI) announced at a recent conference on neuropsychiatric diseases the results from a recently completed Phase I clinical study demonstrating ITI-007, the Company's lead antipsychotic drug, interacts with important targets in the living human brain. These key targets are critical to drug action in many neuropsychiatric and related disorders.

21 Dec 2009

Tips for preventing injury in winter sports

The tragic death of actress Natasha Richardson this past March put a spotlight on the potential risks inherent to skiing, as well as the deadly consequences that can result from head trauma. Richardson died two days after suffering an epidural hematoma and slipping into a coma. What at first appeared to be a minor bump on the head from a fall on a beginner ski slope in Quebec proved fatal.

19 Dec 2009

IRB approves Neuralstem's Phase I trial to treat ALS with spinal cord stem cells

Neuralstem, Inc. today announced that its Phase I trial to treat Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) with its spinal cord stem cells has been approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at Emory University in Atlanta, GA.

19 Dec 2009

Bourbon causes a worse hangover than vodka

Many alcoholic beverages contain byproducts of the materials used in the fermenting process. These byproducts are called "congeners," complex organic molecules with toxic effects including acetone, acetaldehyde, fusel oil, tannins, and furfural. Bourbon has 37 times the amount of congeners that vodka has. A new study has found that while drinking a lot of bourbon can cause a worse hangover than drinking a lot of vodka, impairment in people's next-day task performance is about the same for both beverages.

19 Dec 2009

UAB professors honored for scientific contributions and outstanding mentorship

Three University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) professors have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

18 Dec 2009

Opexa Therapeutics completes registered direct offering

Opexa Therapeutics, Inc., a company developing Tovaxin®, a novel T-cell therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS), today announced that it has completed its registered direct offering with several institutional investors to sell 2,550,000 units, each unit consisting of one share of Opexa common stock, a five-year Series

18 Dec 2009

Neurobiological Technologies files Certificate of Dissolution

Neurobiological Technologies, Inc. (formerly NTII) ("NTI") announced today that it filed a Certificate of Dissolution with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on December 17, 2009. Certificates of Dissolution generally become effective upon filing.

18 Dec 2009

Scientists use optical technique to trace out neurons interaction

Scientists at Harvard University have used light and genetic trickery to trace out neurons' ability to excite or inhibit one another, literally shedding new light on the question of how neurons interact with one another in live animals.

18 Dec 2009

Four commonly used chemotherapy drugs disrupt birth of new brain cells, shows study

Researchers have developed a novel animal model showing that four commonly used chemotherapy drugs disrupt the birth of new brain cells, and that the condition could be partially reversed with the growth factor IGF-1.

18 Dec 2009

AANS and CNS oppose Senate healthcare reform

The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) have joined thousands of other physicians from 12 medical specialty organizations to deliver an urgent message to the public and to Congress: we need reform, but this isn’t the right reform; urge your Senator to vote “NO” on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590) as introduced by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

18 Dec 2009

Sepracor's LUNESTA receives patent term extension from USPTO

Sepracor Inc. today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has determined that U.S. Patent No. 6,444,673, which is a composition of matter patent that covers the human drug product LUNESTA® (eszopiclone), received a patent term extension under 35 U.S.C. § 156.

18 Dec 2009

Somaxon Pharmaceuticals to meet FDA to discuss the NDA for Silenor for insomnia treatment

Somaxon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the in-licensing, development and commercialization of proprietary branded pharmaceutical products and late-stage product candidates for the treatment of diseases and disorders in the central nervous system therapeutic area, today stated that it is scheduled to meet with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on January 20, 2010 to discuss the New Drug Application (NDA) for Silenor® (doxepin) for the treatment of insomnia.

18 Dec 2009

Adimab announces initiation of research collaborations with two other companies

Adimab, Inc., a leader in the discovery of fully human antibodies, today announced the initiation of research collaborations with Pfizer and an undisclosed second company. Adimab also announced the receipt of milestone payments from two recently announced discovery collaborations with Merck and Roche.

17 Dec 2009

Investigational study of TRT to alleviate debilitating effects of tinnitus commenced

A University of Alabama researcher is embarking on a $5.6 million phase-three, randomized, controlled clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of an innovative treatment that uses a noise-generating device, along with counseling, to alleviate the debilitating effects of tinnitus - that ringing in the ears that drives some people to distraction.

17 Dec 2009

RRE-90 score: A new web-based tool to predict recurrent stroke risk

Scientists have developed a new web-based tool that may better predict whether a person will suffer a second stroke within 90 days of a first stroke, according to research published in the December 16, 2009, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

17 Dec 2009

Diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids linked to improved nervous-system function

The omega-3 essential fatty acids commonly found in fatty fish and algae help animals avoid sensory overload, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

17 Dec 2009