Latest news

New approach for treating degenerative diseases

A new paper reveals a new connection between a particular ion transport protein and the cell’s garbage disposal, which grinds up misfolded proteins to stave off their toxic accumulation. The results, published in Developmental Cell, identify a target for treating debilitating degenerative conditions, such as  Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Nutrient research reveals pathway for treating brain disorders

A University of Queensland researcher has found molecular doorways that could be used to help deliver drugs into the brain to treat neurological disorders. Dr Rosemary Cater led a team which discovered that an essential nutrient called choline is transported into the brain by a protein called FLVCR2. The research also highlights the importance of eating choline-rich foods – such as eggs, vegetables, meat, nuts and beans. The research is published in Nature and funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Survey reveals how well people really know signs of stroke 

A survey conducted by MedStar Health found people could be overly confident about their ability to recognise the serious warning signs of someone having a stroke. The national survey of 1000 people found 64 per cent of respondents said they were "confident" about their knowledge of stroke symptoms, but just 23 per cent could name the signs that make up the widely known acronym BEFAST which outlines sudden changes that can be signs of stroke.

PLT Health Solutions secures licence from Health Canada for Nutricog

PLT Health Solutions has received a license from the Natural and Non-Prescription Health Products Directorate (NNHPD) of Health Canada to market its ingredient Nutricog® Cognitive Performance Complex to support cognitive health. In a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, users of Nutricog demonstrated significant improvements compared to placebo across multiple cognitive domains, including learning, memory, sustained attention, working memory and executive function, where increases in cognitive speed were seen concurrently with improvements in accuracy while multitasking.

Medtronic receives FDA approval for closed-loop spinal cord stimulator

Medtronic has announced that the US FDA has approved the Inceptiv™ closed-loop rechargeable spinal cord stimulator (SCS) for the treatment of chronic pain. Inceptiv is the first Medtronic SCS device to offer a closed-loop feature that senses biological signals along the spinal cord and automatically adjusts stimulation in real time, keeping therapy in harmony with the motions of daily life.

Research grant to explore new causes of MS

Alexander Gow, Ph.D., professor and associate director of the Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics and professor of paediatrics and neurology at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, received an award from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society for a study into the causes of multiple sclerosis. The three-year, $644,827 grant for his study, “Metabolic Stress and Oligodendrocyte Pathophysiology,” will explore the early roots of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in patients that Gow believes may begin years — perhaps even decades — before symptoms become apparent.

Association of new-onset seizures with SARS-CoV-2 vaccines

A new, systematic review and meta-analysis has revealed that the incidence proportion of new-onset seizures after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination was not statistically different between vaccine recipients and placebo recipients or unvaccinated participants in the pooled analyses of more than 118,000 participants in randomized clinical trials.

Funding for brain injuries, PTSD and more

In a recent round of grant awards, the STRONG STAR Consortium based at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) was selected by the U.S. Department of Defense for a total of $17 million in funding to launch eight new research projects focused on traumatic brain injury and psychological health. The combined projects will enable the consortium to take a big step forward in its mission to advance the care of military personnel and veterans recovering from war-related trauma and the psychological wounds it inflicts.

Coya Therapeutics presents updated ALS biomarker data

Coya Therapeutics has presented biomarker data as part of a presentation at the 2nd Annual Johnson Center Symposium in Houston, Texas. The data presented highlights the strong predictive value of oxidative stress biomarker (4-HNE) levels with the rate of disease progression and survival in ALS patients from a longitudinal patient registry cohort. Dr Stanley Appel, M.D., Chairman of Coya’s SAB, commented: “The demonstration that serum levels of 4-HNE are highly correlated with ALS progression and survival highlights the potential value of this lipid peroxide as a biomarker of disease pathophysiology and as an independent monitor of clinical status.”

Phase II/III data in patients with early Alzheimer’s Disease

Annovis Bio has announced the data from its Phase II/III Alzheimer study of buntanetap in mild to moderate AD patients. Based on these data, the company plans to conduct a pivotal Phase III trial in biomarker-positive early AD patients. Buntanetap is an oral molecule that selectively binds to an iron-responsive element in the mRNA of amyloid precursor protein (APP) and other neurotoxic proteins and inhibits their translation. Through this mechanism, buntanetap was shown to decrease the production of amyloid beta (Aβ), tau, alpha-Synuclein (αSYN), and TDP43.

Tether invests $200m in brain-chip maker Blackrock Neurotech

Reuters reports that the crypto company Tether has invested $200 million in Blackrock Neurotech, taking a majority stake in the U.S. brain implant company. Blackrock Neurotech makes brain-to-computer interfaces, including neural implants which can allow people to control computers and prosthetic arms without moving, its website says. It has no relation to the asset manager BlackRock. The deal values Blackrock Neurotech at around $350 million, making Tether its largest shareholder, Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino told Reuters.

Robotic nerve ‘cuffs’ could help treat a range of neurological conditions

Researchers have developed tiny, flexible devices that can wrap around individual nerve fibres without damaging them. The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, combined flexible electronics and soft robotics techniques to develop the devices, which could be used for the diagnosis and treatment of a range of disorders, including epilepsy and chronic pain, or the control of prosthetic limbs.

Gene linked to epilepsy, autism decoded in new study

A genetic change or variant in a gene called SCN2A is a known cause of infantile seizures, autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability, as well as a wide range of other moderate-to-profound impairments in mobility, communication, eating and vision.  The severity of these disorders can vary widely from person to person, but little is known about what is happening at the level of the SCN2A protein to cause these differences.   A new Northwestern Medicine study helps explain how changes in the SCN2A gene affect whether or not a child will develop autism or epilepsy, the age at which seizures start for those with epilepsy and the severity of the child's other impairments.

Children with symptoms of brain injuries and concussions are missing out on vital checks

Almost a quarter of US children with symptoms of a brain injury or concussion are not checked for the condition, with younger children particularly likely to be overlooked, a new national study finds. The peer-reviewed US research, which is published in the journal Brain Injury, also shows that children with symptoms or a diagnosis of a brain injury or concussion were more likely to have symptoms of depression than other youngsters. They also found it harder to make friends.

Multiple Sclerosis patients receiving intranasal Foralumab

Tiziana Life Sciences, a biotechnology company developing breakthrough immunomodulation therapies via novel routes of drug delivery, today announced for the first time, quantitative data showing improvement in White Matter Z-scores measured from PET images taken at 3 months in nasal foralumab treated patients with non-active secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (na-SPMS). White Matter Z-scores are a statistical measure used in neuroimaging studies to assess the integrity or abnormalities in structures of the brain.

Using AI to improve diagnosis of Rare Genetic Disorders

Diagnosing rare Mendelian disorders is a labor-intensive task, even for experienced geneticists. Investigators at Baylor College of Medicine are trying to make the process more efficient using artificial intelligence. The team developed a machine learning system called AI-MARRVEL (AIM) to help prioritise potentially causative variants for Mendelian disorders. The study is published today in NEJM AI.

Science ministers commit to better forecast and steer disruptive new technologies

Science ministers from across the world have endorsed a new approach to how new technologies are regulated, warning that governments need to foresee and steer breakthroughs, rather than being caught on the back foot and reacting to problems after they emerge. Spooked by sudden advances in artificial intelligence (AI), they endorsed a new set of ideas drawn up by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in a get-together in Paris.

 

Latest data on Alzheimer’s drug development 

The latest Alzheimer’s drug development  pipeline has been published in Alzheimer’s and Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions. According to this year’s data, there are 164 active trials and 127 unique treatments, a roughly 10% decrease from the previous year that saw a record-high 187 active trials and 141 unique treatments.

The database of all clinical trials results was established in 2016 by Dr Jeffrey Cummings, who leads the Alzheimer’s drug development observatory within UNLV’s Department of Brain Health.

Global consortium to study Pick's disease

Pick's disease, a neurodegenerative disease of unknown genetic origin, is a rare type of frontotemporal dementia that affects people under the age of 65.

Researchers at Mayo Clinic in Florida, University College London in England and collaborators worldwide have established the Pick's Disease International Consortium to study a specific MAPT gene variation known as MAPT H2 that makes the tau protein and acts as a driver of disease. They investigated a connection between the gene and disease risk, age at onset, and duration of Pick's disease.

Role of genetic variations and long-term pesticide exposure in Parkinson’s 

A new UCLA Health study found certain genetic variants could help explain how long-term pesticide exposure could increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease. The new study, published in the journal NPJ Parkinson’s Disease, used genetic data from nearly 800 Central Valley (California) residents with Parkinson’s disease, many of whom had long-term exposure to 10 pesticides used on cotton crops for at least a decade prior to developing the disease, with some patients having been exposed as far back as 1974. 

Researchers from Drexel University’s Creativity Research Lab have developed an artificial intelligence technique that can effectively estimate an individual’s brain age based on electroencephalogram (EEG) brain scans. The technology could help to make early, regular screening for degenerative brain diseases more accessible.     

Tiziana reports positive neuroimaging scores in multiple sclerosis study

Tiziana Life Sciences has published quantitative data showing improvement in White Matter Z-scores measured from PET images taken at 3 months in nasal foralumab treated patients with non-active secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (na-SPMS). White Matter Z-scores are a statistical measure used in neuroimaging studies to assess the integrity or abnormalities in structures of the brain.

DiagnaMed’s BRAIN AGE®  reaches clinical validation milestone

DiagnaMed announced a clinical validation milestone of the BRAIN AGE® Brain Health AI Platform, a world-first consumer brain health and wellness AI solution that estimates brain age and provides a brain health score, with a first-of-a-kind peer-reviewed paper in Frontiers in Neuroergonomics.

Cerevance adds $47 Million to advance robust clinical pipeline

Cerevance, a company focused on developing precision novel therapeutics for central nervous system diseases, announced an initial closing of its Series B-1 Extension financing round that will add $47 million to the $51 million previously raised bringing the total Series B-1 raise to $98 million.

Research shows “profound” link between dietary choices and brain health

New research has highlighted the profound link between dietary choices and brain health. Published in Nature, the research showed that a healthy, balanced diet was linked to superior brain health, cognitive function and mental wellbeing. The study, involving researchers at the University of Warwick, sheds light on how our food preferences not only influence physical health but also significantly impact brain health.

PET scans reveal ‘smouldering’ inflammation in patients with MS

A new study from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, suggests positron emission tomography (PET) brain scans could reveal hidden inflammation in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) who are being treated with highly-effective treatments. The findings were published in Clinical Nuclear Medicine.

Heart health affects midlife cognition in Black women

A new study has found that Black women with poor cardiovascular health may face an elevated risk of early signs of cognitive decline in midlife. The study, which is published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, found that processing speed, a leading indicator of early cognitive decline, appeared to decline in Black women with poorer cardiovascular health starting in midlife but not in white women. Working memory did not decline in the total study group, or in groups based on race or cardiovascular health.

Unlocking single-neuron therapies for neurodegenerative disorders

Neural stimulation is a medical technique used to treat many illnesses affecting the nervous system. It involves applying energy to neurons to encourage them to grow and make connections with their neighbours. In the Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology A, researchers from the University of Minnesota deployed an array of microscopic coils — microcoils — to create a magnetic field and stimulate individual neurons. They constructed a prototype of their coil array, called MagPatch and tested it with human neuroblastoma cells to demonstrate its effectiveness. The cells were affected by the magnetic fields without being harmed by the coating, suggesting the potential to use this device in clinical settings. 

$4.8 million grant to study TDP-43 protein in neurodegenerative diseases

A new $4.8 million grant will support researchers from Indiana University School of Medicine and the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology to study how human neurodegenerative diseases are affected by the misfolding of the protein TDP-43. Misfolding occurs when a protein adopts a conformation which differs from the native one.

The researchers, funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, have developed an innovative approach to deciphering the role of TDP-43 misfolding in the pathology of frontotemporal dementias, limbic predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy and Alzheimer’s disease.

Helius expands stroke programme

Neurotech company, Helius, is expanding its clinical development programme for the broadening of the labeling of its marketed PoNS device to include patients recovering from stroke with the participation of Shepherd Center, under the direction of chief medical officer, Michael Yochelson. 

Gain announces positive initial results from Parkinson’s trial

Gain has announced positive results from the single ascending dose (SAD) part of its Phase 1 study on GT-02287, a Novel GCase-Targeting Small Molecule Therapy for GBA1 Parkinson’s Disease. GT-02287 was generally well tolerated up to and including the highest planned dose level, and there were no serious adverse events.