Tag Archives: parkinson disease

Breaking the Chain: ‘Molecular cap’ Blocks Processes that Lead to Alzheimer’s, HIV

A new advance by UCLA biochemists has brought scientists one step closer to developing treatments that could delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and prevent the sexual transmission of HIV.

The researchers report that they have designed molecular inhibitors that target specific proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease and HIV to prevent them from forming amyloid fibers, the elongated chains of interlocking proteins that play a key role in more than two dozen degenerative and often fatal diseases. (more…)

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iPhone App May Support Monitoring and Research on Parkinson’s Disease

Researchers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) have developed a novel iPhone application that may enable persons with Parkinson’s disease and certain other neurological conditions to use the ubiquitous devices to collect data on hand and arm tremors and relay the results to medical personnel.

The researchers believe the application could replace subjective tests now used to assess the severity of tremors, while potentially allowing more frequent patient monitoring without costly visits to medical facilities. (more…)

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Mutated Gene Found in Dog Disease the Same in Humans, MU Researchers Find

*Tibetian Terrier dogs could play key role in developing therapy for early-onset Parkinson’s*

COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri researchers believe both man and animal will benefit from their discovery that the same gene mutation found in Tibetan Terrier dogs can also be found in a fatal human neurological disorder related to Parkinson’s disease.

Fabiana Farias, a doctoral candidate in Area Genetics at the University of Missouri, found the mutation as part of her thesis research. Gary Johnson, associate professor of Veterinary Pathobiology; Martin Katz, professor of Veterinary Pathobiology, and Dennis O’Brien, a professor in the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, along with a host of researchers from MU’s College of Veterinary Medicine; College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) and the Mason Eye Institute, recently published the findings in Neurobiology of Disease. (more…)

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