Editor's Choice Main Category: Alzheimer's / Dementia Also Included In: Genetics Article Date: 05 Jul 2012 - 10:00 PDT Current ratings for: Researchers Working Hard To Unlock Alzheimer's Genetic Secrets The study, which will be conducted by researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine and colleagues across the country, could significantly affect the development of treatments for Alzheimer's. The researchers will sequence and examine genomes of more than 800 adults taking part in the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). The study, supported by the Brin Wojcicki Foundation and the Alzheimer's Association, will provide a listing of all 3 billion segments (base pairs) of genetic code in each participant's DNA. Andrew Saykin, Psy.D., director of the Indiana University Center for Neuroimaging and lead researcher for the genetics core of the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, explained: "This is the equivalent of going from a good quality map of the United States to having the detailed blueprints for everything within our borders." The DNA samples gathered from participants are stored at the National Cell Repository for Alzheimer's Disease at the IU School of Medicine. The repository, directed by Tatiana Foroud, Ph.D., P. Michael Conneally Professor of Medical and Molecular Genetics, prepared the DNA … Continue reading →

SYDNEY Researchers in Australia say microscopic robots could soon be swimming around our bloodstream repairing cells and diagnosing diseases. Drugs with improved therapeutic properties that can target affected parts of the body without damaging surrounding tissue have been the focus of an international nanomedicine conference in Australia. The conference, organized by the University of New South Wales in Sydney, has brought together academics and clinicians from 16 countries, including the United States, Britain and Australia. They have highlighted research into targeted drug delivery systems, diagnostics and regenerative therapies, all enabled by nanomedicine. It is the building of tiny machines to help combat disease. It is a field of research that works at a very small scale. A nanometer is equivalent to one-billionth of a meter or the size of a single strand of DNA. "I see enormous potential in this technology to be able to deliver drugs or deliver gene-silencing tools to target cancer-causing genes in tumor cells, so where we can load up this payload on our little trucks . . . [and] deliver specifically to the tumor cells and spare the normal cells," said Maria Kavallaris, from the Australia Center for Nanomedicine, one of the conference organizers. Scientists … Continue reading →

04-07-2012 07:17 When and how do we build connection and interaction with our children on the Autism Spectrum? In the Son-Rise Program it is all about timing, our children tell us when this time is by giving us green lights of interaction. Once we get a green light then it is up to us to add one thing to the activitiy to inspire more interaction. Click on the video below for a short demonstration. Go to to learn more about our methadology. Here is the original post: Building - A Son-Rise ProgramTechnique - Video … Continue reading →

A new state law took effect July 1 that requires insurance companies to pay for autism treatment, in what regulators describe as a reconfirmation of existing law. Lisa Ackerman, founder of Irvine-based Talk About Curing Autism or TACA, said the law, known as SB 946, builds upon the Mental Health Parity Law, which took effect in 2000. Andrew Ashline receives 11 hours of in-home Applied Behavioral Analysis therapy per week through Autism Spectrum Therapies (www.autismtherapies.com), a local autism therapy agency. His therapist, Kristen McMurray, is an integral part of an overall intervention program. Using the iPad during sessions has improved Andrew's ability to stay focused and communicate with others. H. LORREN AU JR., THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER ADVERTISEMENT That law said autism, as well as mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, must receive the same treatment benefits as other kinds of medical conditions. But regulators still found some insurers were denying coverage. "SB 946 is a natural next step," said Ackerman, whose son has autism. "It gives families more choices for treatment." Earlier this year, Blue Shield, Health Net and Cigna reached agreements with the state's Department of Insurance after consumer complaints about denial of coverage for a treatment known as … Continue reading →