Category Archives: Parkinson’s Treatment

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Amarantus BioScience, Inc. (AMBS), a biotechnology company discovering and developing treatments and diagnostics for diseases associated with neurodegeneration and apoptosis, today reported positive preclinical data for its lead therapeutic MANF in neuroprotection 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) rat models of Parkinsons disease. The data show that MANF protects the integrity of dopamine producing neurites in the striatum. Our scientists are excited by this data, which not only demonstrates the efficacy of MANF, but its superiority to GDNF, as well, said Gerald E. Commissiong, President and Chief Executive Officer of Amarantus BioScience. Based on this study, we believe MANF plays a role in maintaining brain connectivity, specifically the dopaminergic system of the basal ganglia network, which reinforces the potential of MANF as a disease-modifying treatment for Parkinsons. In the neuroprotection study, MANF was delivered into the substantia nigra shortly before injection of the toxin 6-OHDA into the striatum. Four weeks later the animals were sacrificed and the density of dopaminergic neuron projections in the striatum was determined. The protection of neuron health, as measured by the density of neurite terminals, was evident in all three areas of the striatum examined. The effects of a single MANF treatment were evident after four … Continue reading →

NEW YORK, March 27, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue: Neurodegenerative Diseases Market to 2018 - New product entries in both niche and broader Parkinson's disease treatment will boost market despite patent cliff http://www.reportlinker.com/p01154050/Neurodegenerative-Diseases-Market-to-2018---New-product-entries-in-both-niche-and-broader-Parkinson's-disease-treatment-will-boost-market-despite-patent-cliff.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Pathology Neurodegenerative Diseases Market to 2018 - New product entries in both niche and broader Parkinson's disease treatment will boost market despite patent cliff Summary - The current therapeutic environment in the treatment of AD, PD, HD and ALS across the top seven developed markets, including the US, Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Spain and Japan. - Market data on the geographical landscape and therapeutic landscape, including market size, annual cost of therapy, treatment usage patterns such as disease population and prescription populations. - Market forecasts for all four indications across the US, the top five countries in Europe (EU5) - Germany, France, the UK, Italy, and Spain- as well as Japan. - Key market drivers and barriers - The major deals that have taken place in the Neurodegenerative Diseases Market in recent years. Coverage includes Mergers and Acquisitions (M&As) as well as co-development and licensing agreements, which are segmented on the basis of geography and total … Continue reading →

LONDON, March 26 (Reuters) - British biotech Phytopharm gave up its search for a treatment for Parkinson's Disease using a drug derived from subtropical plants on Tuesday and said it was looking to sell the business. A month after the medicine, Cogane, failed in a clinical trial, Phytopharm (LSE: PYM.L - news) said it would not commit any more money to further research and development and would cut staff. The company said it had held exploratory merger talks with a number of parties. Cogane's failure - the latest in a line that include Renovo, Minster and Antisoma - highlighted the all-or-nothing bet that small biotechs need to make to develop and launch drugs on their own. Phytopharm suffered earlier setbacks. It abandoned research aiming to commercialise a drug for the management of obesity derived from a southern African cactus called Hoodia gordonii three years ago, to focus its efforts on Cogane instead. It raised 24 million pounds ($36 million)from investors to fund research into Cogane. The British company had hoped its compounds had the potential to be a new class of therapy for neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's and motor neurone disease. Early trials indicated that Cogane could ease the … Continue reading →

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Mar 27, 2013) - Parkinson's is a disease that families fight together. When a person is diagnosed with Parkinson's the symptoms echo through, and affect, every family member. Parkinson Society Canada knows that managing Parkinson's doesn't solely rest on the person living with the disease. Daily care and quality of life is often possible thanks to a cohesive team including doctors, health care professionals and family members. During Parkinson's Awareness Month in April, Parkinson Society Canada is focusing on families and the impact Parkinson's disease can have on those who closely surround a person living with the disease. Caregivers can experience their own health problems as well as social and emotional difficulties if the care for a person with Parkinson's isn't adequately distributed among family, health care professionals and the community. "My family tries to do things to make life easier for me. My wife and kids have been a huge help," said John Kiefer, a heavy duty mechanic from Saskatchewan who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2009 at age 41. "We try to work together as best we can." John's wife Wanda, and their two children, Drayton and Danica, split household chores to ease the … Continue reading →

KUSA - As a part of Parkinson's Awareness Month in April, the Parkinson's Association of the Rockies is looking to establish an understanding about the patients, caregivers and the treatment for the disease. Former PAR president Rick Schwartz, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's 13 years ago, says treatment for the disease is improving greatly. "Deep brain stimulation seems to be the key to having a better life for a lot of us with Parkinsons," Schwartz said. They're making great strides." Schwartz said the treatment surgery was conducted while the patients were awake so that they could tell the doctors where to place the probes. Now, doctors are beginning to gain the ability to administer the surgery while patients are asleep. "Now they're doing it when you're asleep, which makes it a lot easier for the patient and the doctor feels he can put the probe exactly where he wants it with new technology," Schwartz said. Although the focus of the disease is usually on the patient, Schwartz says it's important for caregivers to receive recognition and help as well. "I think in a lot of ways the caregivers have more stress on them than the patients themselves because they have … Continue reading →

LONDON (Reuters) - British biotech Phytopharm gave up its search for a treatment for Parkinson's Disease using a drug derived from subtropical plants on Tuesday and said it was looking to sell the business. A month after the medicine, Cogane, failed in a clinical trial, Phytopharm said it would not commit any more money to further research and development and would cut staff. The company said it had held exploratory merger talks with a number of parties. Cogane's failure - the latest in a line that include Renovo, Minster and Antisoma - highlighted the all-or-nothing bet that small biotechs need to make to develop and launch drugs on their own. Phytopharm suffered earlier setbacks. It abandoned research aiming to commercialize a drug for the management of obesity derived from a southern African cactus called Hoodia gordonii three years ago, to focus its efforts on Cogane instead. It raised 24 million pounds ($36 million)from investors to fund research into Cogane. The British company had hoped its compounds had the potential to be a new class of therapy for neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's and motor neurone disease. Early trials indicated that Cogane could ease the symptoms and slow the progression of … Continue reading →

People with Parkinson's disease improve walking, freezing, falling with the GaitAid parkinsonsFreezing.mediGait.com. By: Amir Baram … Continue reading →

A widely used Parkinson's drug may help older people to make up their minds, research suggests. Poor decision-making is a recognised problem of ageing that stems from an inability to learn from experiences. Part of the decision-making process involves learning to predict the likelihood of a rewarding outcome. That in turn implicates dopamine, a brain chemical associated both with reward responses and Parkinson's disease. Study leader Dr Rumana Chowdhury, from the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at University College London, said: "We know that dopamine decline is part of the normal ageing process so we wanted to see whether it had any effect on reward-based decision-making. "We found that when we treated older people who were particularly bad at making decisions with a drug that increases dopamine in the brain, their ability to learn from rewards improved to a level comparable to somebody in their twenties and enabled them to make better decisions." The team, who report their findings in the journal Nature Neuroscience, used a combination of behaviour testing and brain imaging to study decision-making in 32 volunteers aged in their seventies. Their results were compared with those from 22 individuals in their mid-20s. LIKE HUFFPOST UK LIFESTYLE ON … Continue reading →

London, March 25 : Scientists in Britain have shown that a popular Parkinson's disease drug can better older people's decision making abilities that are affected with age, says a study. A drug widely used to treat Parkinson's disease can help to reverse age-related impairments in decision making in some older people, a study from researchers at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging has shown. The study, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, also describes changes in the patterns of brain activity of adults in their seventies that help to explain why they are worse at making decisions than younger people. Poorer decision-making is a natural part of the aging process that stems from a decline in our brains' ability to learn from our experiences. Part of the decision-making process involves learning to predict the likelihood of getting a reward from the choices that we make, reports Science Daily. Dr. Rumana Chowdhury, who led the study at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at University College London (UCL), said: "We know that dopamine decline is part of the normal aging process so we wanted to see whether it had any effect on reward-based decision making." "We found that when we treated … Continue reading →

Public release date: 24-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Jen Middleton j.middleton@wellcome.ac.uk 44-207-611-7262 Wellcome Trust A drug widely used to treat Parkinson's Disease can help to reverse age-related impairments in decision making in some older people, a study from researchers at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging has shown. The study, published today in the journal Nature Neuroscience, also describes changes in the patterns of brain activity of adults in their seventies that help to explain why they are worse at making decisions than younger people. Poorer decision-making is a natural part of the ageing process that stems from a decline in our brains' ability to learn from our experiences. Part of the decision-making process involves learning to predict the likelihood of getting a reward from the choices that we make. An area of the brain called the nucleus accumbens is responsible for interpreting the difference between the reward that we're expecting to get from a decision and the reward that is actually received. These so called 'prediction errors', reported by a brain chemical called dopamine, help us to learn from our actions and modify our behaviour to make better choices the next time. Dr Rumana Chowdhury, who … Continue reading →