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Breakthroughs

by Hope Center scientists that show great promise of leading to cures

New ALS Gene Identified
Hope Center researchers Nigel Cairns, Ph.D., and Alison M. Goate, D. Phil., announced that a gene newly linked to inherited ALS may also play a role in common dementia. Their study appeared in the 2/20/08 issue of Annals of Neurology.

Goate notes that abnormal TDP-43 has been found in patients with frontotemporal dementia, the second most common cause of early-onset dementia after Alzheimer's disease. "As our understanding of these diseases progresses, we're starting to see common elements," she said. "This protein may alow us to link together a number of important disease entities and pinpoint new targets for therapeutic intervention.  More

Altering brains lipid metabolism reduces Alzheimer's plaque in mice
Jan. 17, 2008 -- Increasing levels of a protein that helps the brain use cholesterol may slow the development of Alzheimer's disease changes in the brain, according to researchers studying a mouse model of the disease at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Amyloid plaques are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. David Holtzman’s laboratory finds that over-expression of ABCA1, which is involved in the transport of cholesterol and other lipids, leads to a lower incidence of amyloid plaques. More