neurotransmitter

Translational tech work bridges academia and markets

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 07:59:59 -0400

Northwestern University scientist Richard Silverman's work led to the blockbuster Lyrica, which translated into more than $700 million in royalties from Pfizer. And his story--told by the Chicago Tribune--illustrates the crucial role that a technology transfer office can play in moving an experimental therapy into the hands of a biopharma company with deep pockets.

Silverman's inspiration was to focus on the way that enzymes elevated levels of GABA, a neurotransmitter involved in key brain functions. Northwestern's technology transfer office was able to turn it into a blockbuster product for the university after the therapy demonstrated an ability to ease nerve-generated pain during human trials.

The money hasn't changed Silverman's life, but it has emphasized the curious path of drug discovery that winds from the lab to the market. When Lyrica was approved, Silverman asked to go to Pfizer's big celebration; but the man that made the key scientific breakthrough couldn't even wrangle an invitation. The big drug company had moved on from its scientific origin. Success hadn't spoiled the scientist, though. He's putting a chunk of his earnings up for a new, $95 million chemistry building that will bear his name.

"It'll be really nice to have a building with my name on it," Silverman said. "I'll be long gone and the building will still be standing."

- read the article in the Chicago Tribune

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New approaches pursued on Parkinson's

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 20:01:39 -0400

A team of scientists say they have developed a drug that blocks the SIRT2 enzyme, which protects the neurons damaged by Parkinson's disease. In an article to come out this week in the journal Science, researchers at Harvard show how inhibition of SIRT2--a member of the sirtuin family, which is linked to aging--prevents the toxicity of the protein aggregates that are believed to be behind the neuronal death characteristic of PD. Contrary to "classic" approaches that try to eliminate these aggregates, SIRT2 inhibition appears to work by "fusing" many small protein aggregates into larger (apparently less neuro-toxic) ones.

In addition, researchers at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center have also used an AAV virus to deliver a gene to the brains of 11 volunteers with Parkinson's disease. The gene is a regulator of GABA, a neurotransmitter. There were no side effects from the therapy and the treatment helped reduce the symptoms of Parkinson's for up to four years.

- see the release on SIRT2
- check out the report from the Daily Herald
- here's the report on AAV work

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Bacteria may help treat depression

Mon, 09 Apr 2007 20:01:39 -0400

An experimental cancer therapy may help point the way to a new treatment for clinical depression. The approach was inspired by work done by Dr. Mary O'Brien at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, who injected lung cancer victims with Mycobacterium vaccae, a harmless version of bacteria that causes tuberculosis and leprosy. After the therapy was injected, the physician noted not only fewer symptoms of cancer, but an improvement in emotional health as well. Researchers followed that observation with an animal study to see if the bacteria would trigger an immune response that caused mice to produce additional amounts of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that is often in short supply among depressed patients. The positive response in mice, which responded with a stress-free attitude to swimming, is spurring a new look at a theory that ultra-hygienic environments for children may be contributing to higher rates of depression.

- read the report on the study from The Economist

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Potential breakthrough made for Down syndrome

Wed, 28 Feb 2007 19:01:39 -0500

Researchers using a new dosing schedule of an old drug--PTZ--were able to improve the cognition skills of mice suffering from Down syndrome. Craig C. Garner, a Stanford School of Medicine professor, said that mice given 17 daily doses of the therapy were able to recognize objects and navigate mazes with the same dexterity as healthy mice. A considerable amount of work still needs to be done, researchers note, as high concentrations of the drug have been known to cause seizures in humans. But the research does provide hope for people suffering from Down syndrome--the leading cause of mental retardation. There is no approved therapy for the condition, which occurs in one of every 660 births. Experts believe that people with Down syndrome have too much of a neurotransmitter called gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA. PTZ blocks GABA.

- read the article on the animal study from The Los Angeles Times

Stem cell transplant a success against Parkinson's

Wed, 06 Dec 2006 19:01:39 -0500

New research published in The Journal of Neuroscience asserts that transplanted neural stem cells can reduce the destruction of dopaminergic cells and replace cells lost to Parkinson's. A neural stem cell transplant in an animal study demonstrated that the animals continued to function normally, without the progressive loss of physical control that characterizes Parkinson's. The transplant occurred after a toxin was used to destroy neurons that are needed to make dopamine, a key neurotransmitter. The researchers said the therapy occurred at what would be the equivalent of an early stage of the disease.

"We are very cautious but to us, it's an indication that stem cells have promise for Parkinson's disease," says Dr. Cesario V. Borlongan, neuroscientist at the Medical College of Georgia and corresponding author of the study.

- read the report on the study

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Researchers study role of glia in neurodegeneration

Wed, 30 Aug 2006 20:01:39 -0400

Researchers at the University of Washington say they've found that the tissue that surrounds neurons in the central nervous system--known as glia-plays a role in neurodegeneration. Using a mouse model, the scientists found that the reduced transfer of glutamate into glial cells played a role in the degeneration of Purkinje neurons. The theory is that that may be the cause of neuronal death seen in diseases like Alzheimer's, Huntington's and prion disease. Their focus was on spinocerebellar ataxia type 7, or SCA7, in which a mutation glia interferes with the transport of a neurotransmitter. Their work is published in the October issue of Nature Neuroscience.

- check out the UPI report on glia