Dublin, Ireland-based Alkermes plc announced it will initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial for its drug candidate ALKS7119 for the treatment of agitation in Alzheimer’s patients. Psychiatric symptoms such as agitation are the main cause of morbidity in Alzheimer’s patients and also a major burden among caregivers. There are currently no…
A collaboration between researchers at the Institute for EthnoMedicine and the University of Miami Brain Endowment Bank revealed that chronic exposure to an environmental toxin has the potential to increase the risk for neurodegenerative illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease. The research paper, “Dietary exposure to an environmental toxin triggers…
Buck Institute and UCLA researchers have discovered a new role for a specific genetic form (allele) of a certain gene, which might explain its status as the most important genetic risk factor for the development of Alzheimer’s disease. The research paper, “Direct Transcriptional Effects of Apolipoprotein E,” was published in…
Neuralstem Inc. researchers have released the preclinical results of a human stem cell line with the potential to treat Alzheimer’s disease patients. The research paper, “Human Cortical Neural Stem Cells Expressing Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I: A Novel Cellular Therapy for Alzheimer’s Disease,” was published in the journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine. Neuralstem’s…
University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) researchers will study the catalytic processes of sulfur-oxidizing enzymes, especially the chemical mechanism of a key enzyme, cysteine dioxygenase. Their work could lead to new therapies for Alzheimer’s and autism, diseases in which sulfur metabolism is known to be disrupted. Dr. Brad Pierce, a UTA assistant professor of biochemistry,…
GeneMatch, a novel program developed by the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute (BAI), is now identifying and recruiting people interested in participating in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) research studies who are at risk of developing the disease based on their APOE genetic information. The APOE gene is a genetic factor associated with a higher Alzheimer’s risk and a higher…
Astrocytes, brain cells thought to migrate to and destroy the amyloid plaques that are associated with the development of Alzheimer’s disease, are actually repelled by the plaques, researchers analyzing models of the brain report. Their study, titled “Topological analyses in APP/PS1 mice reveal that astrocytes do not migrate to amyloid-β…
Researchers have identified urolithins are the molecules responsible for pomegranate extract’s apparent neuroprotective effectives against Alzheimer’s disease. The study, entitled “Pomegranate’s Neuroprotective Effects against Alzheimer’s Disease Are Mediated by Urolithins, Its Ellagitannin-Gut Microbial Derived Metabolites,” was published in ACS Chemical Neuroscience. Several animal studies have demonstrated that pomegranate…
Researchers discovered a potential cause for the disrupted sleep patterns observed in Alzheimer’s disease patients. The study, “Melanopsin retinal ganglion cell loss in Alzheimer’s disease,” associates the degradation of a subset of eye cells involved in circadian rhythm regulation with the sleep dysfunction observed in AD, and was published in…
Yale School of Public Health researchers have demonstrated that stress caused by negative attitudes and beliefs toward aging can lead to pathological brain damage associated with Alzheimer’s disease. The research paper, the first to correlate a cultural and psychosocial risk factor to Alzheimer’s disease onset, was published online in the…
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