Parkinson's Disease News and Research

Latest Parkinson's Disease News and Research

New book on Alzheimer's epidemic

Providing meaningful roles in society, involving children, and embracing a love-based approach are how America can successfully cope with the soaring numbers of people with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other memory-impairing diseases. That's the view of Alzheimer's futurists Loren Shook and Steve Winner, who say the nation must elevate care for those with the disease alongside the ongoing efforts to develop prevention and cure measures.

20 Oct 2010

PBS-Bio announces three new contracts to develop cancer therapy

In an industry that faces increasing challenges in delivering new drugs to patients, Predictive Biomarker Sciences (PBS-Bio) today announced three new contracts aimed at bringing new medicines to the marketplace.

20 Oct 2010

Research offers important insight into symptoms of Parkinson's disease

An international collaboration led by academics at the University of Sheffield, has shed new light into Parkinson's disease, which could help with the development of cures or treatments in the future.

20 Oct 2010

New disease pathways involving more than one cell type lead to Type 1 Gaucher disease: Study

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have found that new disease pathways involving more than one cell type leads to Type 1 Gaucher disease, a rare genetic disorder in which fatty substances called glycosphingolipids accumulate in cells, resulting in liver/spleen enlargement, osteoporosis, bone pain, and increased risk of cancer and Parkinson's disease.

20 Oct 2010

Ceregene commences enrollment in CERE-120 Phase 2b study for Parkinson's disease

Ceregene, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, announced today that enrollment has begun in a new double-blind sham surgery-controlled Phase 2b study evaluating CERE-120 in Parkinson's disease patients. CERE-120 is a gene therapy product that delivers the neurotrophic factor neurturin to degenerating or dying dopamine neurons. Data from the first Phase 2 clinical trial of CERE-120 are being published later this year in Lancet Neurology (to appear online October 21, 2010).

20 Oct 2010

Pharmacy graduate awarded national recognition for pioneering research in genetics

A young pharmacy graduate has been awarded national recognition for her pioneering research in the field of genetics which has the potential to treat diseases such as cancer and Parkinson's.

19 Oct 2010

DOD awards grant to develop ‘lab-on-a-chip’ device for monitoring patients with severe brain injury

The US Department of Defense (DOD) has awarded a $5 million grant to The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research and the University of Cincinnati to further develop a "lab-on-a-chip" device used for monitoring patients suffering from severe brain injury.

19 Oct 2010

Positive results from Diamyd Medical's NP2 Enkephalin Phase I trial for chronic pain

Substantial and sustained reduction in pain scores were reported in the middle and high dose cohorts of Diamyd Medical's Phase I, open-label, dose escalation trial investigating NP2 Enkephalin as a potential therapy for chronic pain. No treatment related Serious Adverse Events have been observed in the study to date.

19 Oct 2010

Study observes interaction between HLA-C and ERAP1 genes in psoriasis

Genetic variants associated with increased susceptibility to psoriasis are reported in five papers published online this week in Nature Genetics. Psoriasis is a chronic and recurrent skin disease, and one of the most prevalent autoimmune diseases, with a global prevalence of 2-3%.

19 Oct 2010

Integra launches CRW Precision Arc Stereotactic System for neurosurgery

Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corporation announced today the launch of the CRW Precision™ Arc Stereotactic System, a multi-purpose stereotactic system used for localizing intra-cranial targets and precisely directing instruments to the target in cases such as brain biopsy, tumor resection, and Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgeries.

18 Oct 2010

UCSF professor receives National Medal of Science

UCSF Nobel laureate Stanley B. Prusiner, MD, UCSF professor of neurology and director of the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, today (Oct. 15, 2010) was named to receive the National Medal of Science, the nation's highest honor for science and technology.

18 Oct 2010

Major advance in treatment of brain disorders with external genes

In the October 17 issue of Nature Methods, researchers at Thomas Jefferson University describe how they can transfer genes into brain neurons intravenously, using a viral gene delivery vehicle (vector) that causes no side effects.

18 Oct 2010

Researchers identify new paradigm for regulation of alternative splicing

How a T cell decides to make protein X, Y, or Z can have profound effects for fighting foreign invaders or staving off dire autoimmune reactions. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have identified the steps that control how different forms of an immune cell protein called CD45, which is critical for activating the immune system when faced with pathogens, are controlled in the arc of a body's immune response.

18 Oct 2010

Shrink reveals image of StemDisc450 biomedical research tool

Shrink Nanotechnologies, Inc. an innovative nanotechnology company developing products and licensing opportunities in the alternative energy industry, medical diagnostics and sensors and biotechnology research and development tools businesses, revealed an image of its first product offering the StemDisc450, a high-yield, low cost, patent-pending cell culturing biomedical research tool.

18 Oct 2010

Diagnosis is vital to differentiae Lewy body dementia and Parkinson's disease dementia

Alzheimer's disease is not the only type of dementia. Two particular forms are dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson's disease dementia. In both forms, the diagnosis is of vital importance because the treatment for these dementias differs from that for Alzheimer's dementia, as Brit Mollenhauer and co-authors explain in the dementia theme issue of Deutsches -rzteblatt International.

18 Oct 2010

Pericytes regulate blood-brain barrier

While the blood-brain barrier (BBB) protects the brain from harmful chemicals occurring naturally in the blood, it also obstructs the transport of drugs to the brain. In an article in Nature scientists at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet now present a potential solution to the problem. The key to the BBB is a cell-type in the blood vessel walls called pericytes, and the researchers hope that their findings will one day contribute to new therapies for diseases like Alzheimer's and stroke.

15 Oct 2010

Scientists find pericytes regulate blood-brain barrier

14 Oct 2010

Magellan clinical leaders discuss solutions to improve mental illnesses

On the heels of Mental Illness Awareness Week, clinical leaders from Magellan Health Services, Inc., an industry leader in behavioral health care management, are now gathering to discuss a variety of innovative solutions for addressing the unique needs and improving outcomes of individuals with mental illnesses.

14 Oct 2010

Experts reach consensus about DBS treatment for Parkinson's disease

Since the late 1990s, deep brain stimulation (DBS) has proven to be a lifeline for some patients suffering from Parkinson's disease, a cruel neurological disorder that can cause lack of control over movement, poor balance and coordination, and rigidity, among other symptoms.

14 Oct 2010

XenoPort to present XP23829 preclinical data at ECTRIMS meeting

XenoPort, Inc. announced today that it will present data on a new preclinical product candidate, XP23829, at the upcoming 26th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) meeting in Gothenburg, Sweden, October 13 - 16, 2010.

14 Oct 2010