Welcome to your daily round-up of everything happening in the world of neurorehabilitation.
Research
Gardening could reduce risk of ALS
Participation in recreational activities — including golfing, gardening or yard work, woodworking and hunting — may be associated with an increase in a person’s risk for developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, a Michigan Medicine study finds. While many activities were associated with increased ALS risk, several were sex specific.
Study opens the door to earlier Alzheimer’s diagnosis
A team of researchers from Aarhus University have found a way to spot Alzheimer’s before it develops into dementia. The team discovered a special receptor on immune cells that can effectively bind and neutralise harmful “beta proteins”, which are strongly associated with the disease. The groundbreaking study might open the door to earlier diagnosis and a potential pathway towards slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
Technology
Wearable tech might also detect early signs of Alzheimer’s
Elsewhere, researchers have found that monitoring daily activity patterns using a wrist-worn device may also detect early warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The results partly confirm findings from an earlier study in a smaller sample and suggest that actigraphs someday could be a tool to help detect incipient Alzheimer’s disease before significant cognitive impairment sets in.
Curve walking could detect cognitive decline
Researchers at Florida Atlantic University are the first to quantitatively compare the performance of healthy older adults versus older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in straight and curve walking. They used a depth camera, which can detect and track 25 joints of body movement, to record study participants’ gait while performing the two different walking tests (straight versus curve).
Results showed curve walking resulted in greater challenges for the MCI group and outperformed straight walking in detecting MCI. Several gait markers showed significant differences between healthy controls and MCI patients.
Company updates
SetPoint Medical gets green light from FDA
SetPoint Medical has received FDA Breakthrough Device Designation for its Neuroimmune Modulation Platform for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). The first-of-its-kind therapeutic approach targets pathways intended to promote remyelination in people with relapsing-remitting MS.
Alzprotect advances on regulatory pathway
Alzprotect has received positive feedback from both the FDA and European (EMA) authorities regarding the regulatory path for advancing the clinical development of Ezeprogind/AZP2006 for patients with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). This significant milestone follows promising results of A phase 2a study.
Ab Science’s masitinib limits neuronal damage
Ab Science has published new research that shows masitinib limits neuronal damage in a model of neuroimmune-driven neurodegenerative disease. This is the first demonstration that masitinib can lower serum neurofilament light chain, an important biomarker for neurodegenerative disorders.
SK Life Science publishes real-world data
SK Life Science, has announced an update on the use of its anti-seizure medication, cenobamate XCOPRI®. Data published in the journal, Epilepsia, provides an update on the real-world experience of the more than 100,000 patients across the US and other markets.
Ceverance to present findings at Alzheimer’s Research UK conference
Ceverance has announced plans to present its latest research findings at the upcoming Alzheimer’s Research UK Conference, taking place in Liverpool. Its candidate, CVN293, shows promise in potentially addressing CNS conditions characterised by neuroinflammation, such as frontotemporal dementia (FTD), ALS and Alzheimer’s.
