Welcome to your daily round-up of everything happening in the world of neurorehabilitation.
Research news
Movement disorder ALS and cognitive disorder FTLD show strong molecular overlaps
A new study in Cell reveals that ALS and cognitive disorder FTLD have remarkable overlaps at the cellular and molecular levels, revealing potential targets that could yield therapies applicable to both disorders. The new paper, led by scientists at MIT and the Mayo Clinic, tracked RNA expression patterns in 620,000 cells spanning 44 different cell types across motor cortex and prefrontal cortex from postmortem brain samples of 73 donors diagnosed with ALS, FTLD, or who were neurologically unaffected.
Tools to better understand CaMKII
The health impacts of a complex protein that plays a major role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease and heart conditions can be lessened by three kinds of drug inhibitors, according to scientists at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. In an overview of the protein and the inhibitors published today in the journal Cell Reports, the CU researchers discussed the best ways to use the interventions. The protein, CaMKII, is ubiquitous in cells throughout the body but is perhaps best known for its prominent role in the brain and the heart. It is critical in learning and memory but if misregulated can cause problems.
Mapping the brain’s activity in unprecedented detail
A multidisciplinary team of neurosurgeons and neuroscientists from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai are the first in New York to study a new brain-computer interface that’s engineered to map a large area of the brain’s surface, in real time, at resolutions hundreds of times more detailed than typical arrays used in neurosurgical procedures. The Layer 7 Cortical Interface, developed by Precision Neuroscience Corporation, contains 1,024 tiny electrodes spanning an area of 1.5 square centimeter, embedded in a flexible film that conforms to the brain’s surface. The film is one-fifth the thickness of a human hair and was designed to be implanted and removed by neurosurgeons without damaging brain tissue.
Company and financial neuro-rehab news
Agreement to co-develop clinical-stage ALS therapy VRG50635
Verge Genomics has announced a strategic collaboration to co-develop VRG50635, Verge’s lead drug candidate, for the treatment of sporadic and familial forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), in Europe, Central and South America, Southeast Asia, and Japan. VRG50635 is a potential best-in-class, small molecule inhibitor of PIKfyve, a therapeutic target for ALS discovered in diseased human tissues using CONVERGE, Verge’s all-in-human, AI-powered platform.
Stamford Health and Columbia University Irving Medical Center Neurosciences Partnership
Stamford Health has announced an expanded partnership with Columbia University Irving Medical Center to increase its neurosurgical capabilities and expand its clinical team to treat a wider range of cerebrovascular conditions and more complex stroke cases. The neurosciences partnership builds on Stamford Health’s existing relationship with CUIMC and earlier this year, Stamford Health welcomed Columbia University Irving Medical Center endovascular neurosurgeon, Max Shutran, MD, to its medical staff. To date, Dr. Shutran has begun to care for patients with vascular conditions in the brain and spine using both minimally invasive (endovascular) and open surgical techniques.
