Neural Cell News

Neural Cell News is an online resource covering the latest research in neuroscience, neural stem cells, and neurological conditions.

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VectorY Therapeutics Announces First Participant Dosed in Phase 1/2 PIONEER-ALS Clinical Trial of VTx-002 in People with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

February 17, 2026

[VectorY Therapeutics] VectorY Therapeutics announced that the first participant has been dosed in its Phase 1/2 PIONEER-ALS trial evaluating VTx-002, a first-in-class vectorized antibody targeting TDP-43 pathology in people with ALS.

Glucosylceramide-Induced Ectosomes Propagate Pathogenic α-synuclein in Parkinson’s Disease

February 17, 2026

[Nature Cell Biology] Investigators used live-cell microscopy to examine the impact of Parkinson’s disease associated lipid alterations on α-synuclein release. They discovered that increased glucosylceramides as a consequence of reduced β-glucocerebrosidase activity induce ectosome shedding from primary neurons.

HSPA5 Promotes YAP/TAZ Stability Independently of the Hippo Pathway and Induces Proneural-to-Mesenchymal Transition in Glioblastoma

February 17, 2026

[Cell Death & Disease] Scientists demonstrated that heat shock protein family A member 5 (HSPA5) expression was highest in the mesenchymal subtype of glioblastoma. The overexpression of HSPA5 in proneural cells induced proneural-to-mesenchymal transition and promoted malignant phenotypes.

NeuroD1-USP1-MYCN Axis Drives Tumor Progression in Neuroblastoma

February 17, 2026

[Journal of Translational Medicine] The authors investigated the upstream regulatory mechanisms of N-Myc stabilization in neuroblastoma and explored potential therapeutic strategies targeting these mechanisms.

Targeting of HSP27 and MMP-2/9 Crosstalk by High-Throughput Drug Repurposing Strategies Identifies Paroxetine As a Potential Candidate in Glioblastoma

February 17, 2026

[Journal of Medicinal Chemistry] Investigators established paroxetine as a functional heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) inhibitor that disrupts the interaction between HSP27 and MMP-2/9, thereby inhibiting glioblastoma progression.

Wnt-3a Exacerbates Production of TNF-α in LPS Stimulated Microglia Independent of the β-Catenin Canonical Pathway

February 17, 2026

[Scientific Reports] Researchers found that Wnt-3a alone had no effect on pro-inflammatory TNF-α or IL-1β release from homeostatic primary microglia, however co-administration with LPS significantly increased TNF-α release beyond that seen with LPS alone.

APP-C31 Pathology As a Target in Neurodegenerative Diseases

February 17, 2026

[Journal of Biomedical Science] Scientists provide a comprehensive introduction to the structure, neurotoxicity, regulatory mechanism, and relevance of APP-C31 to clinical diseases and its therapeutic potential as a drug target.

Microglia-Associated Progression of Multiple Sclerosis: Target Identification and Therapeutic Engagement in Human In Vitro Models

February 17, 2026

[Experimental & Molecular Medicine] Investigators highlight advances in modeling MS progression, using human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived systems, with a particular focus on microglia as key mediators of neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration.

Targeting Metabolic Mechanisms to Overcome Temozolomide Resistance in Glioblastoma

February 17, 2026

[Discover Oncology] The authors summarize resistance-associated changes across three key areas – glycolysis, redox homeostasis, and lipid metabolism in temozolomide-resistant glioblastoma.

Sarepta Therapeutics Announces Approval of Clinical Trial Application for SRP-1005, Its Investigational Treatment for Huntington’s Disease

February 4, 2026

[Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc.] Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc. announced that Medsafe, the New Zealand Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority, has granted approval for its clinical trial application for Study SRP-1005-101, also known as INSIGHTT. SRP-1005 is an investigational small interfering RNA therapeutic for the treatment of Huntington's Disease.

A First-in-Class Small-Molecule Inhibitor Targeting AVIL Exhibits Safety and Antitumor Efficacy in Preclinical Models of Glioblastoma

February 4, 2026

[Science Translational Medicine] Investigators further examined advillin (AVIL) expression in glioblastomas (GBMs) and found that it was enriched across molecular subtypes and states, including GBM stem cells and temozolomide-resistant samples.

Olig2 Acts As an Inducible Barrier to In Vivo Astrocyte-to-Neuron Conversion

February 4, 2026

[Nature Communications] Scientists identified Olig2, a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor, as an inducible barrier to Ngn2-mediated AtN conversion. Olig2 is strongly upregulated in cortical astrocytes following the ectopic expression of bHLH neuronal reprogramming factors.

Neural Cell News helps scientists keep pace with the latest research, reviews, and industry developments in neuroscience. Specific research topics include neural development and neuroregeneration, neural signaling related to cellular responses and behavior, and synaptic plasticity. Research into the diagnosis, progression, cellular characteristics, and treatment of brain diseases such as Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and various brain cancers, as well as brain damage resulting from infection, trauma, stroke, seizures, and tumors, is also covered.