Image from: Alzheimer's Association Researchers Sanchez et al.from the Gladstone Institute, University of California San Franciso and Washington University School of Medicine discovered that an FDA-approved anti-convulsantmedication used to treat epilepsy (levetiracetam)can also reverse memory loss in addition to reducing other Alzheimers related symptoms in a mouse model of the disease. Alzheimers is currently the most common form of dementia (memory loss) representing 50-80% ofcases. It is a disease that worsens over time. Although there are available medicationsto help slow the progression of the disease orlessen the symptoms, there is currently no cure. Presently, an estimated 5.4 million people have Alzheimers disease in the United States and thisnumber is expected to rise. When administered to mice with Alzheimers, levetiracetam was found todecrease abnormal signaling in the brain by 50% in just one day. By 2 weeks, neurons within the brain exhibited signs of improved communication. Using a maze test, the researchers were able to demonstrate improved learning and memory with the anti-convulsant medication. Moreover, proteins necessary for normal brain function were restored to normal levels in the treated animals. More research is needed however, to determine whether this new use of levetiracetam in the treatment of Alzheimers disease is effective … Continue reading →

Five lakh patients added every year in India: neurosurgeon People who suffer from frequent episodes of seizures and do not get relief from medication, can now look to leading a much better quality of life, thanks to advances in imaging technology and dexterity of surgeons. Epilepsy is a common neurological condition and mostly seen in children. It also affects adults. Fits or seizures are usually caused due to some structural abnormality/ lesion/ scar or a tumour in the brain. While seizures could be controlled through medicines in about 70 per cent of the patients, surgery would help to curb them in most others, according to neurosurgeons. Doctors Manas Panigrahi, Sita Jayalakshmi and Devashish Ruikar, who comprise the epilepsy surgeons team at the Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) here, said that patients in more than 80 per cent of the cases they had operated upon were seizure-free now. However, surgery would be taken up only in patients who stand a good chance of becoming seizure-free. In children, surgery would be recommended only if the child had at least two seizures per month and had medication for more than two years. Uncontrolled epilepsy in children affects their milestone development, IQ and … Continue reading →

LEUVEN, BELGIUM and MADRID, SPAIN--(Marketwire -08/08/12)- TiGenix (EURONEXT:TIG), the European leader in cell therapy, announced today the completion of patient enrollment in the Company's Phase IIa study of Cx611, a suspension of expanded allogeneic adult stem cells, in rheumatoid arthritis. The Phase IIa clinical trial is a 53-subject, multicenter, placebo-controlled study in 3 cohorts with different dosing regimens, designed to assess safety, feasibility, tolerance, and optimal dosing. The study is being conducted at 23 centers. The Company believes that this clinical trial can set the stage not only for the further development of Cx611 in RA, but also in a wide range of other autoimmune disorders. "In addition to the primary endpoints of safety and optimal dosing, we expect this trial to yield a first indication of the duration of the efficacy of Cx611 in this very difficult patient population: the enrolled patients have previously failed to respond to at least two biologicals," said Eduardo Bravo, CEO of TiGenix. "In the trial patients are treated with three injections of Cx611. The six-month follow-up without further dosing should provide us with a truly meaningful result. This is the most advanced stem cell therapy trial in RA in the world, and completing … Continue reading →