Neurodegenerative Diseases News and Research

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Researchers find methods to awaken and revive neural stem cells

Some areas of the adult brain contain quiescent, or dormant, neural stem cells that can potentially be reactivated to form new neurons. However, the transition from quiescence to proliferation is still poorly understood. A team led by scientists from the Universities of Geneva (UNIGE) and Lausanne (UNIL) has discovered the importance of cell metabolism in this process and identified how to wake up these neural stem cells and reactivate them. Biologists succeeded in increasing the number of new neurons in the brain of adult and even elderly mice. These results, promising for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, are to be discovered in the journal Science Advances.

2 Mar 2023

RNA modification plays a vital role in TDP-43-related neurodegeneration in ALS

Nearly 100% of cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-the progressive, fatal neurodegenerative disease known as ALS or Lou Gherig's disease-involve the buildup of a protein called TDP-43.

28 Feb 2023

Artificial BBB model can help determine how well antibody-based therapies can enter the brain

A research group at Uppsala University has developed a simple and effective artificial blood-brain barrier model that can be used to determine how well antibody-based therapies can enter the brain.

27 Feb 2023

Scientists discover two ways to preserve diseased upper motor neurons in ALS

Northwestern Medicine scientists have discovered two ways to preserve diseased upper motor neurons that would normally be destroyed in ALS, based on a study in mice. Upper motor neurons initiate movement, and they degenerate in ALS.

24 Feb 2023

Scientists unravel the secrets of polydopamine coatings

Dopamine is best known as a neurotransmitter. What is rather unknown, however, the underwater glue used by mussels contains large amounts of L-Dopa molecules, an analog of dopamine.

17 Feb 2023

New method for studying mitochondria using advanced imaging technology

Scientists at Scripps Research have developed an advanced imaging-based approach that provides a unique perspective on mitochondria, which are best known as the “powerhouses” of cells.

17 Feb 2023

DZNE scientists discover major role of centrosome in neuronal migration

Researchers from the DZNE have solved an important puzzle in neurobiology: the wiring and the movement of nerve cells are interwoven, but separately controlled.

16 Feb 2023

Inventia Life Science collaborates with MSD to develop 3D advanced cell models for neurodegenerative disease drug discovery

Inventia Life Science, a world leader in advanced cell models for biomedical research and drug discovery, today announced a collaboration with MSD (tradename of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA) using Inventia’s RASTRUM™ 3D cell culture platform.

From Inventia Life Science 16 Feb 2023

New approach to better target cellular proteins

By studying how enzymes move from one membrane compartment to another inside a cell, scientists at the University of Illinois Chicago have figured out a way to better target cellular proteins, which play a role in many diseases.

16 Feb 2023

New center at UCLA focuses on the microbiome’s role in disease prevention

Among the most promising areas of scientific inquiry is the study of the human microbiome and its effect on health. To fuel more rapid progress in this field, Andrea and Donald Goodman and Renee and Meyer Luskin have made a $20 million gift to establish the UCLA Goodman–Luskin Microbiome Center.

16 Feb 2023

Novel mechanism of DNA repair occurring in neurons uncovered

"Use it or lose it" goes the adage, applied liberally to everything from our muscles to our minds, especially as we age.

16 Feb 2023

New method triggers and analyzes the dynamics of brain protein linked to Alzheimer’s

Scientists are not yet clear on how the tau protein changes from a benign protein essential for normal function in our brains into the toxic neurofibrillary tangles that are a signature of Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases.

15 Feb 2023

Versatile molecular toolbox expands the scope of gene regulation

Rice University scientists have enlisted widely used cancer therapy systems to control gene expression in mammalian cells, a feat of synthetic biology that could change how diseases are treated.

15 Feb 2023

Structure of amyloid fibers formed by the protein hnRNPDL-2 determined

Using high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), UAB researchers determined the structure of amyloid fibers formed by the protein hnRNPDL-2, which has been linked to limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 3 and concluded that the protein’s inability to form amyloid ﬁbers, rather than aggregation, would be the cause of the disease.

6 Feb 2023

RNA-G quadruplexes in living cells: A real-time study

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), sometimes referred to as Stephen Hawking’s disease and Lou Gehrig’s disease is a neurological condition that causes the body’s muscles to gradually lose control.

2 Feb 2023

Researchers create a tool to predict the effects of different diets on cancerous and healthy cells

A tool was developed by researchers to forecast the impact of various dietary plans on both cancerous and healthy cells.

30 Jan 2023

Ubiquigent collaborates with University of Glasgow on translational structural biology to accelerate drug discovery within the (de)ubiquitylation field

Ubiquigent Limited (Ubiquigent), a drug discovery and development company harnessing novel deubiquitinase (DUB) modulators as new therapeutics for areas of high unmet medical need, today announced it is supporting a Master’s student at the University of Glasgow (UoG) to undertake a research project on USP30, a DUB implicated in neurodegenerative, renal, and cardiovascular diseases.

From Ubiquigent Limited 23 Jan 2023

Involvement of the piRNA pathway in brain plasticity and successful aging

The Neurobiology of miRNA team, headed by Davide De Pietri Tonelli of the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT-Italian Institute of Technology), established a link between a family of small RNA molecules known as piRNAs and brain inflammation.

16 Dec 2022

Tankyrase protein plays an important role in helping drive bowel cancer

The inner workings of the main protein involved in an extensive range of cellular processes have been disclosed by researchers. This possibly sets the stage for improved and less toxic cancer drugs.

25 Nov 2022

Revitalized immune cells improve waste removal from the brain

Damaged protein clusters in the brain are a hallmark of many neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and others. Although they have made significant efforts, scientists have only partially succeeded in finding treatments for these conditions by removing these toxic clusters.

11 Nov 2022