SCIENCE NEWSImmune System Genes Linked to Parkinson’s Disease An international team of researchers conducting a genome-wide association study has discovered that common variants in immune system genes are linked to Parkinson’s disease. [Press release from Medical News Today discussing online prepublication in Nature Genetics] Single Neurons are Capable of Powerful Computation Single neurons in the brain are able to distinguish between different sequences of incoming information, according to new research. The finding challenges the widely held view that this kind of processing in the brain requires large numbers of neurons working together. [Press release from the Wellcome Trust discussing online prepublication in Science] A Lethal Brain Tumor’s Strength May Be A Weakness As Well An international team of scientists report that they have discovered a new signaling pathway between glioblastoma multiforme cells – one that, if ultimately blocked or disrupted, could significantly slow or reduce tumor growth and malignancy. [Press release from the University of California, San Diego Health System discussing online prepublication in Genes & Development] Advances in Neurochip Technology will Further Brain Research of Diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Researchers have been involved in the development of new technology that monitors brain cell activity at a resolution never achieved before. Developed with the National Research Council Canada, the new silicon chips are also simpler to use, which will help future understanding of how brain cells work under normal conditions and permit drug discoveries for a variety of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. [University of Calgary Press Release] Inherited Brain Activity Predicts Childhood Risk for Anxiety A new study focused on anxiety and brain activity pinpoints the brain regions that are relevant to developing childhood anxiety. [Press release from the University of Wisconsin-Madison discussing online prepublication in Nature]
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CURRENT PUBLICATIONS (Ranked by Impact Factor of the Journal)Neurological Disease Mutations Compromise a C-Terminal Ion Pathway in the Na+/K+-ATPase Crystal structures of the potassium-bound form of the Na+/K+-ATPase pump revealed an intimate docking of the alpha-subunit carboxy terminus at the transmembrane domain, in past studies. Here researchers show that this element is a key regulator of a previously unrecognized ion pathway. [Nature] Amygdalar and Hippocampal Substrates of Anxious Temperament Differ in Their Heritability To characterize the neural circuitry associated with anxious temperament (AT) and the extent to which the function of this circuit is heritable, researchers studied a large sample of rhesus monkeys phenotyped for AT. [Nature] Common Genetic Variation in the HLA Region is Associated with Late-Onset Sporadic Parkinson’s Disease The genetic association with HLA supports the involvement of the immune system in Parkinson’s disease and offers new targets for drug development. [Nat Genet] Dendritic Discrimination of Temporal Input Sequences in Cortical Neurons The detection and discrimination of temporal sequences is fundamental to brain function and underlies perception, cognition, and motor output. Applying patterned two-photon glutamate uncaging, researchers found that single dendrites of cortical pyramidal neurons exhibit sensitivity to the sequence of synaptic activation. [Science] Neurons Derived from Transplanted Neural Stem Cells Restore Disrupted Neuronal Circuitry in a Mouse Model of Spinal Cord Injury Here, using a mouse model of spinal cord injury, researchers have shown that transplantation of neural stem cells together with administration of valproic acid, a known antiepileptic and histone deacetylase inhibitor, dramatically enhanced the restoration of hind limb function. [J Clin Invest] Tumor Heterogeneity is an Active Process Maintained by a Mutant EGFR-Induced Cytokine Circuit in Glioblastoma The findings support the view that a minor tumor cell population can potently drive accelerated growth of the entire tumor mass, and thereby actively maintain tumor cell heterogeneity within a tumor mass. [Gene Dev] Neural Induction Intermediates Exhibit Distinct Roles of Fgf Signaling Researchers conclude that Fgf signaling plays different roles during the differentiation of embryonic stem cells, with an initial requirement in epiblast formation and a subsequent role in self-renewal. Fgf2 and Fgf8 thus stimulate self-renewal in different cell types. [Stem Cells] Efficient Generation of Functional Dopaminergic Neurons from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Under Defined Conditions Induced pluripotent stem cell-derived dopaminergic neurons were functional as they survived and improved behavioral deficits in 6-hydroxydopamine-leasioned rats after transplantation. [Stem Cells] Monoamine Oxidases Regulate Telencephalic Neural Progenitors in Late Embryonic and Early Postnatal Development Monoamine neurotransmitters play major roles in regulating a range of brain functions in adults and increasing evidence suggests roles for monoamines in brain development. Here researchers show that mice lacking the monoamine metabolic enzymes MAO A and MAO B (MAO AB-deficient mice) exhibit diminished proliferation of neural stem cells in the developing telencephalon beginning in late gestation [embryonic day (E) 17.5], a deficit that persists in neonatal and adult mice. [J Neurosci] Pregnancy Associated Progenitor Cells (PAPC) Differentiate and Mature into Neurons in the Maternal Brain Using a murine model of fetomaternal microchimerism, researchers show that PAPCs integrated and persisted in several areas of the maternal brain for up to 7 months postpartum. [Stem Cell Dev]
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INDUSTRY NEWSLilly Halts Development of Semagacestat for Alzheimer’s Disease Based on Preliminary Results of Phase III Clinical Trials Eli Lilly and Company will halt development of semagacestat, a gamma secretase inhibitor being studied as a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, because preliminary results from two ongoing long-term Phase III studies showed it did not slow disease progression and was associated with worsening of clinical measures of cognition and the ability to perform activities of daily living. [Eli Lilly and Company Press Release] Data-Sharing Breeds Alzheimer’s Progress A 2003 venture to bring together the NIH, FDA, industry, universities and nonprofits is paying dividends for Alzheimer’s biomarker research. There have been advancements in using imaging for early disease detection, and about 100 clinical studies are in progress for Alzheimer’s. [FierceBiotech] Neurologix Reports Second Quarter 2010 Financial Results Neurologix, Inc., a biotechnology company developing innovative gene therapies for the brain and central nervous system, reported its financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2010. [Neurologix, Inc. Press Release] Neuralstem Receives Confirmation of Patent Claims From United States Patent and Trademark Office Neuralstem, Inc. announced that it received notification that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has upheld the patentability, without amendment, of all claims in U.S. Patent No. 5,753,506 and intends to issue a reexamination certificate in due course. [Neuralstem, Inc. Press Release] Neuralstem Reports Second Quarter Financial Results and Provides Business & Clinical Update Neuralstem, Inc. reported its financial results for the three months and six months periods ended June 30, 2010 and provided a business and clinical update. [Neuralstem, Inc. Press Release] Xenon Pharmaceuticals Initiates a Phase 2 Clinical Trial in Post Herpetic Neuralgia (PHN) for Topical XEN402 Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced that it has initiated a phase 2 clinical trial evaluating its novel topical XEN402 therapy for the treatment of PHN. [Xenon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Press Release]
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POLICY NEWSInternational Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT) Joins Forces with Roche and Genzyme to Launch Cell Therapy Industry Partnership Many companies in the cell therapy regenerative medicine market including Roche, Genzyme, Athersys, Miltenyi Biotec, Hospira, Lonza and Life Technologies will join ISCT to launch a series of new initiatives that will create greater strategic alignment within the industry and drive late stage clinical development. [International Society for Cellular Therapy Press Release] FDA: Aseptic Meningitis Risk with Use of Seizure Drug Lamictal The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned that the drug Lamictal (lamotrigine), approved to treat seizures and bipolar disorder, can cause aseptic meningitis, an inflammation of the protective membranes (meninges) that cover the brain and spinal cord not caused by bacterial infection. [Food and Drug Administration, United States] Neurobiology of Migraine (R01) (PA-10-258) [National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, United States] Neurobiology of Migraine (R21) (PA-10-259) [National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, United States] Chronic, Non-Communicable Diseases and Disorders Across the Lifespan: Fogarty International Research Training Award (NCD-LIFESPAN) (D43) (PAR-10-257) [National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, United States] National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke; Notice of Closed Meetings [National Institutes of Health, United States] Proposed Collection; Comment Request; NIH NCI Central Institutional Review Board (CIRB) Initiative (NCI) (FR Doc. 2010-20167) [National Institutes of Health, United States] Center for Scientific Review, Notice of Closed Meetings (FR Doc. 2010-19938) [National Institutes of Health, United States] Center for Scientific Review, Notice of Closed Meetings (FR Doc. 2010- 20044) [National Institutes of Health, United States] Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health; Notice of Meeting (FR Doc. 2010-20021) [National Institutes of Health, United States] National Human Genome Research Institute; Notice of Closed Meeting (FR Doc. 2010-19939) [National Institutes of Health, United States] Basic Research on Self-Regulation (R21) (RFA-AG-11-010) [National Institutes of Health, United States] National Center for Research Resources; Notice of Meeting (FR Doc. 2010-20014) [National Institutes of Health, United States]
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EVENTS (Listed by Date) Select Biosciences 3rd Annual Stem Cells Europe Conference August 24-25, 2010 Edinburgh, Scotland Select Biosciences Inaugural Cellular Therapy Summit August 24-25, 2010 Edinburgh, Scotland BIOSPINE 3 – 3rd World Congress on Biotechnologies for Spinal Surgery September 1-4, 2010 Amsterdam, The Netherlands EMBO/EMBL Structures and Function of Neural Circuits September 5-8, 2010 Heidelberg, Germany International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT)-Europe 2nd Regional Meeting September 11-14, 2010 Belgirate, Italy Joint Metastasis Research Society – American Association of Cancer Research Conference on Metastasis and the Tumor Microenvironment September 12-15, 2010 Philadelphia, United States Stem Cells USA & Regenerative Medicine Congress 2010 September 13-15, 2010 Philadelphia, United States International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy of Cancer (ISCGT) Congress September 27-29, 2010 Doha, Qatar 4th American Association of Cancer Research International Conference on Molecular Diagnostics in Cancer Therapeutic Development September 27-30, 2010 Denver, United States 6th International Symposium on Neuroprotection and Neurorepair October 1-4, 2010 Rostock, Germany 2010 World Stem Cell Summit October 4-6, 2010 Detroit, United States 18th Annual BioPartnering Europe October 10-12, 2010 London, United Kingdom Institute for Genomic Medicine Inaugural Symposium October 11-12, 2010 San Diego, United States 5th Annual Translational Stem Cell Research Conference October 12-13, 2010 New York City, United States Translational Cancer Research for Basic Scientists October 17-22, 2010 Boston, United States Fraunhofer Life Science Symposium 2010 October 29-30, 2010 Leipzig, Germany Stem Cell Society Singapore Symposium 2010: Translating Science to Therapy November 2-3, 2010 Singapore City, Singapore 40th Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience 2010 November 13-17, 2010 San Diego, United States Stem Cell Network 10th Annual Scientific Meeting November 22-24, 2010 Calgary, Canada The American Society for Cell Biology 50th Annual Meeting December 11-15, 2010 Philadelphia, United States Adult Neurogenesis January 9-14, 2011 Taos, New Mexico Select Biosciences 5th Annual Stem Cells World Congress January 24-25, 2011 San Diego, United States Phacilitate 7th Annual Cell & Gene Therapy Forum 2011 January 24-26, 2011 Washington, DC, United States Trends in Central Nervous System Malignancies March 25-26, 2011 Bucharest, Romania Wiring the Brain: Making Connections April 12-15, 2011 Powerscourt, Ireland Visit our events page to stay up to date with the latest events in the cell, gene and immunotherapy community.
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