Author Archives: Margarida Azevedo, MSc

A specific chemical alteration present in the presenilin1 (PSEN1) gene may be a biomarker for earlier Alzheimer’s disease (AD) diagnosis and treatment response monitoring, a study suggests. The modification, called DNA methylation, was observed both in brain samples of Alzheimer’s mouse models and post-mortem brain tissue of…

A blood test that measures the levels of a form of tau protein, known as phosphorylated-tau-181 (pTau181), could help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease in patients who show signs of dementia but have an uncertain diagnosis, a study suggests. Moreover, the test could help clinicians quickly differentiate Alzheimer’s from other types…

Sangamo and Biogen are partnering up to develop gene therapies for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, as well as another neuromuscular disease target and up to nine undisclosed neurological disorders. Initially, the collaboration will focus on two molecules in Sangamo’s pipeline: ST-501 for tauopathies such as Alzheimer’s, ST-502…

Following feedback from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Cortexyme will conduct an interim analysis for effectiveness of its lead investigational therapy COR388, currently in the Phase 2/3 GAIN trial for treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. The analysis, expected to be finished by the end…

Three leading Alzheimer’s researchers are forming a consortium to improve clinical trials in the field — an effort boosted by a $70 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. Goals of the Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials Consortium include sharing information and resources to make drug development more efficient and finding better…

Researchers at the Maastricht University Medical Center have investigated how the permeability of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is involved in early forms of Alzheimer disease. The findings suggest that a faulty BBB may be involved in the initial pathologic process that eventually results in neurodegeneration and dementia in these patients. Researchers…

The Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) and the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (AFTD) have announced a partnership to find a drug to cure or slow the progression of neurodegenerative diseases caused by the degeneration of neurons. The Lauder Foundation and the Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation will each invest $5 million for the development…

Chronic activation of the innate immune system is the main cause of a range of symptoms common to different neurodegenerative diseases, namely dementia, which is often associated with Alzheimer’s disease, researchers at the University of Adelaide reported. Their study, titled “The Enemy within: Innate Surveillance-Mediated Cell Death, the Common Mechanism…

Increased activity of mutant forms of a specific enzyme, protein kinase Cα (PKCα), correlates with damage to neurons caused by the amyloid-beta protein in late-onset Alzheimer’s disease, researchers from the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine and Harvard Medical School reported. The findings also suggest that drugs inhibiting the…

Washington University researchers suggest that difficulties in establishing cognitive maps of new surroundings might indicate the onset of Alzheimer’s disease long before a clinical diagnosis. The findings suggest that navigational tasks can be a powerful new tool for early detection of Alzheimer’s disease-related changes. The research paper, “Spatial Navigation in…