Science and Health News

Genetic risk reports for Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and Hereditary Thrombophilia included in the FDA authorization, among others

An international team of scientists, led by researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and University of California San Francisco, has developed a novel genetic score that allows individuals to calculate their age-specific risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD), based upon genetic information.

KENILWORTH, N.J.-(BUSINESS WIRE)- Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced that it will be stopping protocol 017, also known as the EPOCH study, a Phase 2/3 study evaluating verubecestat, an investigational small molecule inhibitor of the beta-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1), in people with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

NIH-funded preclinical study suggests a possible treatment for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders

Under ordinary circumstances, the protein tau contributes to the normal, healthy functioning of brain neurons. In some people, though, it collects into toxic tangles that damage brain cells. Such tangles are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Well-established research suggests extensive plaques and tangles in the brain result in the death of neurons and are an indicator of Alzheimer’s dementia. But surprising new Northwestern Medicine research on the brains of individuals 90 years and older who had superior memories until their deaths revealed widespread and dense Alzheimer’s plaques and tangles in some cases, considered full-blown Alzheimer’s pathology.

A new online game is inviting members of the public to look under a virtual microscope and contribute directly to Alzheimer’s disease research at Cornell University. Stall Catchers, a game launched this week by the Human Computation Institute (HCI), challenges users to scroll through short, black-and-white videos and search for clogged blood vessels within a highlighted area. Points are earned as more vessels are identified. «It’s open to people of all ages. We have even seen some 8-year-olds beat their parents at this game," said Pietro Michelucci, director of HCI.

Researchers have prevented the development of Alzheimer’s disease in mice by using a virus to deliver a specific gene into the brain. The early-stage findings, by scientists from Imperial College London, open avenues for potential new treatments for the disease.