Biogen, Alkermes MS drug bests Biogen’s soon-to-be-generic blockbuster in Phase III study (Links to an external site)

Biogen Headquarters In Cambridge

A drug under consideration by the Food and Drug Administration for multiple sclerosis has shown superiority in terms of gastrointestinal tolerability over its comparator. But while analysts said the drug will likely win FDA approval, it is uncertain if the latest data will drive significant uptake, especially with the comparator’s anticipated availability as a generic.

YOUR HEALTH: Fasting could have an impact on diseases, including MS (Links to an external site)

Amy Thomas on computer at hospital

ST. LOUIS, Missouri – Amy Thomas was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis 13 years ago. “It’s just another component of my life to manage. It’s not defining who I am.” She regularly gets blood drawn to measure the benefits of intermittent fasting. In a study measuring the benefits of intermittent fasting, she eats non-starchy vegetables two days a week.  […]

Rineys give $15 million to develop, test therapies for neurodegenerative diseases (Links to an external site)

Rodger and Paula Riney have made a $15 million gift to Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, aimed at accelerating research and developing new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has received a $15 million gift from Paula and Rodger Riney aimed at accelerating research and developing new treatments for two major neurodegenerative diseases:  Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Of the gift, $10 million will support Alzheimer’s disease research, while $5 million will support studies of Parkinson’s […]

Perlmutter named scientific director of dystonia foundation (Links to an external site)

Joel S. Perlmutter, MD, the Elliot H. Stein Family Professor of Neurology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been named scientific director of the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation. Dystonia is a neurological disorder that causes excessive, involuntary muscle contractions and abnormal postures.

Bateman receives Potamkin Award for Alzheimer’s research (Links to an external site)

Randall J. Bateman, MD, the Charles F. and Joanne Knight Distinguished Professor of Neurology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been awarded the Potamkin Prize for Research in Pick’s, Alzheimer’s, and Related Diseases from the American Academy of Neurology for his work on Alzheimer's disease.

Randall J. Bateman, MD, the Charles F. and Joanne Knight Distinguished Professor of Neurology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been awarded the Potamkin Prize for Research in Pick’s, Alzheimer’s, and Related Diseases. He will receive the award May 6 at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting in Philadelphia.

Sleep deprivation accelerates Alzheimer’s brain damage (Links to an external site)

A slice of brain tissue from a person who died with dementia shows an elongated brown triangle – a toxic tangle of tau protein associated with Alzheimer's disease and brain damage. A study in mice and people from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis shows that sleep deprivation causes tau levels to rise and tau tangles to spread through the brain, accelerating Alzheimer's brain damage.

Poor sleep has long been linked with Alzheimer’s disease, but researchers have understood little about how sleep disruptions drive the disease. Now, studying mice and people, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that sleep deprivation increases levels of the key Alzheimer’s protein tau. And, in follow-up studies in the […]

Mice sleeping fitfully provide clues to insomnia (Links to an external site)

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis – working with mice with sleep problems similar to those experienced by people with the genetic disease neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) – believe the animals will help shed light on insomnia linked to NF1 or other factors.

Mice that sleep fitfully could help researchers unravel the mystery of insomnia. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis studied mice genetically modified to mimic the genetic disease neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), which is associated with sleep problems. They found that the animals, like some people with NF1, slept in short, irregular […]

Alzheimer’s Disease May Develop Differently In African-Americans, Study Suggests (Links to an external site)

A colorized image of a brain cell from an Alzheimer's patient shows a neurofibrillary tangle (red) inside the cytoplasm (yellow) of the cell. The tangles consist primarily of a protein called tau.

Scientists have found a biological clue that could help explain why African-Americans appear to be more vulnerable than white Americans to Alzheimer’s disease. A study of 1,255 people, both black and white, found that cerebrospinal fluid from African-Americans tended to contain lower levels of a substance associated with Alzheimer’s, researchers report Monday in the journal JAMA Neurology.