Neural Cell News Volume 4.42 | Oct 27 2010

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    Neural Cell News 4.42, October 27, 2010.
    In this issue:  Science News |  Current Publications |  Industry News |  Policy News |  Events
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    TOP STORY

    New Gene Mutation Reveals New Cause of Rare Neurological Diseases  ShareThis
    Researchers at St George’s, University of London have found a gene mutation mechanism that causes a new type of defect in mitochondria. [Press release from St George’s University of London discussing online prepublication in The American Journal of Human Genetics]

     
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    *McGillicuddy et al., Cancer Cell, 2009.
    *Zheng et al., Cancer Cell, 2010.
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    SCIENCE NEWS

    Gene Therapy May Be Powerful New Treatment for Major Depression
    Researchers say animal and human data suggest gene therapy to the brain may be able to treat patients with major depression who do not respond to traditional drug treatment. [Press release from Weill Cornell Medical College discussing online prepublication in Science Translational Medicine]

    Neurons Work Like a Chain of Dominos to Control Action Sequences
    By studying the brain circuits that control bird song, researchers have identified a “chain reaction” of brain activity that appears to control the timing of song. [Press release from McGovern Institute for Brain Research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology discussing online prepublication in Nature]

    Stem Cell Model Breakthrough for Brain Disease Research
    A research team reported on a new cell model they have developed to investigate brain diseases based on patient-derived stem cells. [Press release from Griffith University discussing online prepublication in Disease Models and Mechanisms]

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    CURRENT PUBLICATIONS (Ranked by Impact Factor of the Journal)


    Support for a Synaptic Chain Model of Neuronal Sequence Generation
    To distinguish between two possible classes of models of neural sequence generation, investigators carried out intracellular recordings of HVC neurons in singing zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). [Nature]

    Fate Mapping Analysis Reveals that Adult Microglia Derive from Primitive Macrophages
    Scientists show that postnatal hematopoietic progenitors do not significantly contribute to microglia homeostasis in the adult brain. [Science]

    Defective Mitochondrial mRNA Maturation Is Associated with Spastic Ataxia
    Although defective mitochondrial DNA maintenance underlies a well-described group of clinical disorders, the study’s findings reveal a defect of mitochondrial mRNA maturation associated with human disease and imply that this disease mechanism should be considered in other complex neurodegenerative disorders. [Am J Hum Genet]

    Sox1 Maintains the Undifferentiated State of Cortical Neural Progenitor Cells via the Suppression of Prox1-Mediated Cell Cycle Exit and Neurogenesis
    Here, researchers derived cortical neural/stem progenitor cells from wild type and Sox1-null mouse embryos and found that Sox1 plays a key role in the suppression of neurogenic cell divisions. [Stem Cells]

    Nestin Is Required for the Proper Self-Renewal of Neural Stem Cells
    The study’s data demonstrate that nestin is important for the proper survival and self-renewal of multipotent neural stem cells, and that this function is surprisingly uncoupled from nestin’s structural involvement in the cytoskeleton. [Stem Cells]

    Wnt1 and BMP2: Two Factors Recruiting Multipotent Neural Crest Progenitors Isolated from Adult Bone Marrow
    Using multiple strategies from microarray to 2D-DIGE proteomic analyses, researchers characterized recruited neural crest-derived cells, defining their identity and their differentiating abilities. [Cell Mol Life Sci]

    Reversible Block of Mouse Neural Stem Cell Differentiation in the Absence of Dicer and MicroRNAs
    To investigate the functions of Dicer and microRNAs in neural stem cell self-renewal and neurogenesis, scientists established neural stem cell lines from the embryonic mouse Dicer-null cerebral cortex, producing neural stem cell lines that lacked all microRNAs. [PLoS One]

    Reversal of Depressed Behaviors in Mice by p11 Gene Therapy in the Nucleus Accumbens
    Results suggest that p11 loss in rodent and human nucleus accumbens may contribute to the pathophysiology of depression. Normalization of p11 expression within this brain region with adeno-associated virus-mediated gene therapy may be of therapeutic value. [Sci Transl Med]



    INDUSTRY NEWS


    NeuroVive and to-BBB to Jointly Develop Therapy for Stroke
    NeuroVive Pharmaceutical AB and to-BBB are entering into a joint program to develop therapies for stroke and other acute neurodegenerative diseases by combining their technologies. [NeuroVive Pharmaceutical AB Press Release]

    Intellect Neurosciences, Inc. Obtains OX1 Phase Ib Draft Report Showing the Company’s Lead Alzheimer’s Candidate Was Safe and Well-Tolerated at All Dose Levels Tested
    Intellect Neurosciences, Inc. announced that it has obtained an initial draft report of the Company’s Phase Ib clinical trial for its lead Alzheimer’s candidate, OXIGON™ (OX1). [Intellect Neurosciences, Inc. Press Release]

    New Analysis of CAMBIA™ Pivotal Data to Be Presented at the 4th World Congress on Controversies in Neurology
    Nautilus Neurosciences, Inc. announced that an analysis of two pivotal safety and efficacy studies of CAMBIA™ (diclofenac potassium for oral solution) will be presented at the 4th World Congress on Controversies in Neurology Conference in Barcelona, Spain. [Nautilus Neurosciences, Inc. Press Release]

    NeurAxon’s NXN-188 Named One of 10 Most Promising Neuroscience Projects by Windhover
    NeurAxon, Inc. announced that NXN-188 has been selected as one of the Top 10 most promising neuroscience projects currently available for strategic partnering. [NeurAxon Inc. Press Release]

    MediciNova’s MN-166 Program Recognized as One of Windhover’s Top 10 Neuroscience Projects to Watch
    MediciNova Inc. announced that its novel macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF inhibitor) MN-166 program has been selected for inclusion on Windhover’s list of the “Top 10 Most Interesting Neuroscience Projects to Watch.” [MediciNova Inc. Press Release]

    Barrow Expanding Fight vs. Cancer
    Barrow Neurological Institute of Phoenix is launching a new research center aimed at battling the deadliest of brain cancers. [Barrow Neurological Institute Press Release]

    State Awards the University of California, Los Angeles Stem Cell Researchers $10.4M to Develop New Therapies for Disease
    California’s state stem cell agency has awarded grants totaling $10.4 million to four researchers at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at the University of California, Los Angeles to translate basic science into new and more effective therapies to regenerate bone, target deadly brain cancers and treat corneal disorders that result in blindness. [University of California, Los Angeles, United States]

    Buck Institute Awarded $6 Million to Lead Effort to Get Stem Cell Treatment for Parkinson’s Disease Ready for Clinical Trials
    The Buck Institute for Age Research has been awarded $6 million from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to fund a three-year project aimed at getting a stem cell derived treatment for Parkinson’s disease ready for testing in humans. [Buck Institute for Age Research, United States]

    $1,820,000 from National Science Foundation Awarded to Rutgers University, Newark, to Acquire fMRI Dedicated to Research
    The National Science Foundation has awarded Rutgers University in Newark a $1,820,000 grant to acquire the Siemens Trio 3T MRI scanner. [Rutgers University, United States]

    Center for Neuroscience Awarded $5.5 Million from National Institutes of Health to Develop Core Research Facilities
    The Center for Neuroscience has received grant funding of over $5.5 million from the National Institutes of Health to be disbursed over the next five years. This grant will support new state of the art core resource technologies, fund collaborative scientific pilot projects, and create several new positions at the Health Science Center. [West Virginia University Center for Neuroscience, United States]



    POLICY NEWS


    Just a Flesh Wound? U.K. Science Budget Spared Deep Cuts
    The U.K. government’s long-awaited Comprehensive Spending Review was released, and it calls for a flat science budget over the next 4 years. While inflationary costs mean that the budget will likely see a cut of about 10% in real terms over that period, this scenario is far less dramatic than rumored cuts of 20% to 30% in real cash. [HM Treasury, United Kingdom]

    National Institute of Neurological Disorders amd Stroke Diversity Research Education Grants in Neuroscience (R25) (PAR-11-010)[National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, United States]

    National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke; Notice of Closed Meeting (FR Doc. 2010-26932) [National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, United States]

    2010 Meeting Materials, Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies Advisory Committee [Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, United States]

    Guidance for Industry: Qualification Process for Drug Development Tools [Food and Drug Administration, United States]

    Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for Office of Management and Budget Review; Comment Request; Current Good Manufacturing Practice Quality System Regulations (Docket No. FDA-2010-N-0273) [Food and Drug Administration, United States]

    Meeting Highlights from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP), 18-21 October 2010 [European Medicines Agency, European Union]



    EVENTS (Listed by Date)


    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

    Joint Meeting of the Peripheral and Central Nervous System Drugs Advisory Committee and Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee Meeting
    November 3, 2010
    Washington, D.C., United States

    Ninth Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research
    November 7-10, 2010
    Philadelphia, United States

    International Forum on Stem Cells
    November 12-13, 2010
    Tianjin, Peoples Republic of China 

    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

    Keystone Symposia: 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

    Keystone Symposia – Stem Cells in Development, Tissue Homeostasis and Disease
    January 30-February 4, 2011
    Santa Fe, United States

    Neurodegenerative Diseases: The Molecular and Cellular Basis for Neurodegeneration
    February 21-26, 2011
    Taos, 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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