Welcome to your daily round-up of everything happening in the world of neurorehabilitation.
Research news
New method reveals what drives brain diseases
A new CRISPR screen method developed at Scripps Research has the potential to uncover new therapeutic targets and treatments for these conditions. The method, outlined in a study published in Cell, provides a way to rapidly examine the brain cell types linked to key developmental genes at a scale never done before—helping unravel the genetic and cellular drivers of different neurological diseases.
3D-printed implants shed light on brain–spinal interactions
Carney Institute researchers have developed tools that allow unprecedented observation of neural and vascular activity within the brain and spinal cord, tackling two critical fronts: imaging hardware and bioluminescent (BL) molecular tools. The team engineered 3D-printed brain and spinal cord implants, revolutionising surgical implantations and optical access. Wearable miniscopes coupled with universal implants for advanced microscopy or optogenetic stimulation now provide a backstage pass to the brain and spinal cord.
Key genes in the brain account for higher rates of brain disorders in Black Americans
Scientists seeking to counter the neglect of African Americans in neuroscience research have found evidence that genetic ancestry is responsible for the increased prevalence of certain neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease and stroke, and decreased prevalence of others, including Parkinson’s disease, in Black Americans.
In contrast, the scientists from the Lieber Institute for Brain Development did not find evidence that genetic ancestry is responsible for differences in the prevalence of psychiatric disorders and behavioral traits, such as schizophrenia and depression, across populations of European or African ancestry. Instead, those differences may be driven by variation in environmental exposures.
Company and financial neuro-rehab news
Validation of novel diagnostic biomarker panel for Parkinson’s Disease
BPGbio, a biology-first AI-powered biopharma that focuses on oncology, neurology, and rare diseases, has announced the publication of a significant, multi-year research effort titled “Identification and validation of N-acetylputrescine in combination with non-canonical clinical features as a Parkinson’s disease biomarker panel” in Scientific Reports. Using BPGbio’s NAi Interrogative Biology platform, the BPGbio team identified and developed a CLIA-validated test for measurement of N-acetylputrescine, a novel biomarker for PD, and studied its use in combination with specific clinical features – sense of smell, depression and nightmare – as a predictor of PD. The paper details how the assessed diagnostic panel using patients’ plasma in combination with these specific clinical features significantly enhances the accuracy of PD diagnosis and improves risk assessment for PD, thus validating the utility of this new biomarker.
Drug candidate meets primary endpoint in patients with Alzheimer’s Disease
A study published in Nature Medicine found that a novel neuroprotective drug candidate, LM11A-31, was safe and well-tolerated in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. LM11A-31 also slowed the progression of multiple spinal fluid and imaging biomarkers. These encouraging results support LM11A-31 being studied in a larger trial to further evaluate its safety and efficacy. The study, which received funding by the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF), reflects ongoing progress as the field moves towards a broader approach guided by the biology of aging, building the arsenal of Alzheimer’s treatments needed to complement existing anti-amyloid therapies for combination treatment.
Technology news
Anticipating the future of digital neuroscience
A recently published paper looks at how digital neuroscience developed, where it is now and the advances envisioned for the next 10 years, reports The European Commission’s Community Research and Development Information Service (CORDIS).
The paper is the result of a collaborative effort involving more than 100 researchers, whose discussion was supported by two EU-funded projects: the third edition of the Human Brain Project, HBP SGA3, and EBRAINS 2.0.
“The way in which brain research is conducted has changed fundamentally,” remarks the paper’s lead author Professor Katrin Amunts of HBP SGA3 and EBRAINS 2.0 project partner Forschungszentrum Jülich’s Institute of Neurosciences and Medicine, Germany, in an interview posted on the EBRAINS website.
“Digital technologies and new instruments, tools and methods have transformed the field,” Amunts states. “One example is our three-dimensional brain atlas, which has now become a kind of Google Maps. It does not only offer detailed maps of the brain, but also a large amount of data and software to work with. Digitalisation has opened many doors between the ‘silos’ of the various subdisciplines in brain research and brain-related fields in recent years. In addition, new, large-scale collaborations within Europe and worldwide are creating synergies based on the shared use of data and instruments. They thus take account of the great dynamism in research. The change has led to important advances and opens up new opportunities to advance brain research, medicine and brain-inspired technologies.”
