According to recent study, advancements in materials from this study could potentially help patients requiring stem cell therapies for spinal cord injuries, stroke, Parkinsons disease, Alzheimers disease, arthritic joints or any other condition requiring tissue regeneration. Earlier research revolved around the role of autoimmunity in terms of a treatment. Its important in the context of cell therapies for people to cure these diseases or regenerate tissues that are no longer functional, shared Samuel I. Stupp, director of Northwesterns Simpson Querrey Institute for BioNanotechnology and Board of Trustees Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Chemistry, Medicine and Biomedical Engineering. Cells in our bodies are constantly being signalled with many types of instructions coming from proteins and other molecules present in the matrices that surround them. For example, these can be cues for cells to express specific genes so they can proliferate or differentiate into several types of cells leading to growth or regeneration of tissues. One of the marvels of this signalling machinery is the built-in capacity in living organisms to make signals stop and restart as needed, or to switch off one signal and activate a different one to orchestrate very complex processes. The new technology manipulates cells by converting … Continue reading →

Every week, they gather together. Some move through their exercises with relative ease, while others struggle with each movement. Regardless of their capabilities, each person offers the others encouragement, applauding success and commiserating the challenges as they face the diagnosis that unites them all Parkinson's Disease. This weekly gathering is the Moving Big & Loud class just one of the treatment options available at the Outpatient Neurological Rehab Center of Dignity Health Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital for those living with Parkinson's. Sometimes the class has a handful of participants, sometimes there are nearly two dozen. But they always meet with the same goal: To ease their journey with Parkinson's through physical activity and emotional support. "The feeling of being in a group of people who understand what you are going through and support you unconditionally is invaluable," explained class instructor and SNMH physical therapist Maggie Edwards. "Parkinson's can be an isolating and lonely condition. This group is one step toward counteracting that." Parkinson's is a chronic and progressive movement disorder, meaning symptoms continue and worsen over time. While symptoms can vary from person to person, common effects of the disease include tremors of the hands, arm, legs, jaws and face, … Continue reading →

Study will evaluate first-in class treatment in six European countries Prexton Therapeutics (Prexton), a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutic compounds for the treatment of Central Nervous System (CNS) conditions, recently announces the launch of phase II clinical testing of its investigational drug candidate, Foliglurax, in Parkinsons disease (PD). The clinical study will evaluate 165 patients in sites across six European countries (UK, Germany, France, Austria, Spain and Italy), starting in July 2017. The study is double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled parallel-arm phase II in subjects who are experiencing the two major issues associated with PD, namely the wearing-off of Levodopa and Levodopa-Induced Dyskinesia (LID). The trial will assess the safety and tolerability of Foliglurax and the change from baseline to end of treatment period in the daily awake off-time. Current PD treatments primarily aim to replace dopamine or to mimic its effects. This approach only provides initial symptomatic relief, but loses efficacy as the disease progresses. Foliglurax works by stimulating a novel compensatory neuronal system that activates a specific glutamatergic system target (mGluR4) that is unaffected by PD. The aim is to treat the motor symptoms of PD, such as resting tremor, muscle rigidity ('off-time') and uncontrolled movements ('Dyskinesia'). A phase I … Continue reading →