Archives: 2020-01-09

Ropinirole, a New ALS Drug Candidate Developed Using iPSCs

iPSC-based drug discovery is a promising technology for developing novel therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases lacking useful disease models, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Ropinirole, retigabine, and bosutinib were identified as candidate therapeutic agents for ALS by the combination of iPSC-based drug discovery and drug repositioning. The potential anti-ALS mechanism of ropinirole is independent of

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BBC journalist discovers a new stem cell clinic in London which offers to ‘treat’ children with autism for £9,500 a time.

Prof Murphy, leading authority on autism research at Kings College Hospital, says he is horrified that such a treatment is being offered. Lesley Curwen investigates the scientific promise of human stem cells, cells with superpowers that can become many different types of cells in our bodies from muscle cells to brain cells. Some can even

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Researchers create ‘artificial cartilage’ that can repair itself

New hydrogel made from forestry and fishing waste could help replace petroleum-based products from contact lenses to pill capsules. A new hydrogel material created from materials typically discarded by the forest and fishing industries could be a substitute for petroleum products used in a variety of biomedical applications, from contact lenses to pill capsules. “The

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Melanoma Immunotherapy Enhanced by Targeting Treg Cell Control Protein

Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute have identified a new potential strategy for boosting the immune system’s ability to fight cancer.  Studies in gene knockout mice, carried out in collaboration with a team at NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, suggested that a protein known as Siah2 is involved in the control of T

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New multiple sclerosis treatment trial compares stem cell transplantation to best available drugs

NIH-funded study focuses on severe forms of relapsing MS. Source NIH A clinical has begun trial testing an experimental stem cell treatment against the best available biologic therapies for severe forms of relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS). The trial, sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of

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Gene therapy for chronic pain. Preclinical studies on mice.

Scientists have discovered how to switch off a key ‘pain gene’, dramatically raising hopes of a long-term treatment to relieve the agony of serious illness for millions. The revolutionary technique alters a patient’s DNA, silencing a gene that transmits pain signals up the spine. Preliminary studies on mice have already proven successful and US researchers

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Scientists of Oregon University show possible path to improved bone-repair procedures

Researchers are moving closer to a new approach for improving spinal fusion procedures and repairing broken or defective bones that avoids an over-production of bone that commonly occurs in current treatments. In a preclinical study, researchers significantly reduced undesired bone growth outside of targeted repair areas in rat femurs by delivering a potent bone-forming protein

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Breakthrough study on molecular interactions could improve development of new medicines

A first-of-its-kind study on molecular interactions by biomedical engineers in the University of Minnesota’s College of Science and Engineering will make it easier and more efficient for scientists to develop new medicines and other therapies for diseases such as cancer, HIV and autoimmune diseases. The study resulted in a mathematical framework that simulates the effects

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Alzheimer ‘Tau’ Protein Far Surpasses Amyloid in Predicting Toll on Brain Tissue

Tau PET Brain Imaging Could Launch Precision Medicine Era for Alzheimer’s Disease Brain imaging of pathological tau-protein “tangles” reliably predicts the location of future brain atrophy in Alzheimer’s patients a year or more in advance, according to a new study by scientists at the UC San Francisco Memory and Aging Center. In contrast, the location of

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