A particular genetic allele is now deemed a protector of memory in the aging brain as demonstrated by combined genetic testing and functional MRI, according to a study published May 1 in Biological Psychology.

Dementia patients with combinations of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) show significantly different distribution of the protein alpha-synuclein than they would with one diagnosis, according to a presentation during last week’s annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN).

An investigational therapy called Neurostem-AD developed by Medipost to treat the neurodegeneration caused by Alzheimer’s disease is currently in clinical trials and is now receiving financial backing from Americord, a cord blood, tissue and placenta bank, Americord officials announced today. 

Biopharmaceutical company Lumiphore, from Berkeley, Calif., has captured a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II grant from the National Science Foundation to develop novel macrocyclic chelating groups in an effort to create targeted radioisotope drug delivery systems, the company announced in April.

Two researchers received awards of $130,000 each for their work in developing treatments for Alzheimer’s and the movement disorder dystonia based on their research into neurotoxins, according to an announcement from the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) during the organization’s 66th annual meeting in Philadelphia.

Biopharmaceutical giant Bristol-Myers Squibb now holds the power on a pipeline of neurodegenerative disease therapies after buying San Francisco-based iPierian for $175 million.

Amyloid plaque is a known neurotoxin and hallmark of Alzheimer’s pathology. There are currently no drugs approved to treat the chronic neurodegenerative disease. Fighting the disease with antibodies is showing encouraging results by negating the neurotoxic damage left in the wake of beta-amyloid aggregation, according to a study published April 30 in the Journal of Neuroscience.

A negative florbetaben PET scan provides solid evidence to rule out amyloid pathology in the brain based on phase III trial data matched by histopathology. The research was presented Wednesday during the Emerging Sciences session of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) annual meeting in Philadelphia.