neurodegenerative diseases tagged posts

New insights into the mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases. Findings by researchers from Germany support the view that hyperactive immune cells in the brain can have a protective effect in the course of neurodegenerative diseases. Experts from Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) and LMU Klinikum München report on this in the scientific magazine The EMBO Journal. The scientists are currently considering that modulating the activity of immune cells in the brain via a receptor called TREM2 may significantly impact neurodegenerative disease processes. Thus, they see activating TREM2 as a promising approach for drug research.

The immune cells of the brain — called “microglia” — act against pathogens, help to c...

An international research team may have found that a protein implicated in tumor growth may be able to help regulate awry cellular translation and protect against neuronal decay.

Cells translate their genetic material at rapid rates with exquisite precision to reproduce, repair damage or even combat disease. But the process can deregulate and give rise to disease...

3D-printed novel biomaterial mimics properties of living tissues. Imagine if surgeons could transplant healthy neurons into patients living with neurodegenerative diseases or brain and spinal cord injuries. And imagine if they could “grow” these neurons in the laboratory from a patient’s own cells using a synthetic, highly bioactive material that is suitable for 3D printing.

By discovering a new printable biomaterial that can mimic properties of brain tissue, Northwestern University researchers are now closer to developing a platform capable of treating these conditions using regenerative medicine.

A key ingredient to the discovery is the ability to control the self-assembly processes of molecules within the m...

Researchers from the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) have shown that nanoparticles could be used to deliver drugs to the brain to treat neurodegenerative diseases.

The blood-brain barrier is the main obstacle in treating neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer and Parkinson. According to a recent study conducted by Jean-Michel Rabanel, a postdoctoral researcher under the supervision of Professor Charles Ramassamy, nanoparticles with specific properties could cross this barrier and be captured by neuronal cells...