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Category: neuroscience

Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy is a major cause of hemorrhagic stroke, a frequent contributor to age-related cognitive impairment, and a key component in adverse responses to beta-amyloid (Aβ) immunotherapy. Defined by pathological deposition of Aβ in the small blood vessels of the brain, cerebral amyloid angiopathy is most often diagnosed on the basis of magnetic resonance imaging studies showing multiple hemorrhages or leptomeningeal blood products within or overlying the cerebral cortex. The disorder typically manifests as hemorrhagic stroke or as a contributing factor to cognitive decline and, less commonly, with transient focal neurologic symptoms or a cerebral inflammatory autoimmune syndrome.

How brain cells compete to shape our minds from development to aging

In a recently published review, researchers led by Prof. Wu Qingfeng at the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences explored the ongoing process of neural cell competition (NCC), a fundamental mechanism that shapes the brain across the lifespan.

The review is published in National Science Review, and provides fresh insights into how continuously “compete” for survival and how this competition impacts brain development, wiring, function, and aging.

Although neural cell competition is widely recognized for its role during early , Prof. Wu’s team demonstrated that this process continues to be vital throughout life. They revealed that NCC not only helps maintain healthy brain function but also contributes to when disrupted.

A blood-brain barrier-like vascular gate limits immunotherapy efficacy in neuroendocrine cancers

A blood-brain barrier-like vascular gate in small cell lung cancer and other neuroendocrine cancers blocks immune cells and drives resistance to immunotherapy. Targeting the proteins IGF1R or IGFBP5 boosts CD8+ T cell infiltration and enhances anti-PD1 therapy.

When nerve cells form new connections: approach to treating spinal cord injuries developed

In a mouse model, a new approach has led to the formation of new neural connections in the injured spinal cord, partially restoring lost function. However, further steps and studies are needed before potential treatments can be developed for humans

Parkinson’s Patient Moves Freely Again After World-First Imp

Parkinson’s patient Thomas Matsson was the first in the world to receive 7 million lab-grown brain cells in 2023. Today, he can smell and play sports.

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have successfully implanted 7 million lab-grown brain cells into a patient to treat Parkinson’s disease.

Swedish resident Thomas Matsson was the first in the world to test the method about a year ago.

Kanvas makes the microbiome druggable—and the implications are massive

Kanvas looks amazing! They’re systematically deciphering microbiomes and developing clinical-stage interventions to improve patient outcomes in oncology and beyond. Very impressive! I’m also especially interested in their approach to maternal envi­ron­mental enteric dysfunction (EED), which apparently affects 150M people!

Ever since the genomics revolution revealed how reliant the human organism is on its microscopic microbial cohabitants, the microbiome has been medicine’s most elusive frontier, promising better health if only we could untangle the trillions of interactions that influence nearly every facet of our physiology. But until now, effective medicines that harness the microbiome have been rare. Because of the diversity of microbial species and the complexity of host-to-microbe interactions, as well as the lack of a reliable, easily manufactured drug modality (the package that delivers a medicine’s therapeutic effect), the microbiome has been hard to treat, despite its importance to functions like immune response. Microbiome science has disappointed patients, doctors, founders, and investors.

That’s why DCVC is so excited about the cascade of recent developments at Kanvas Biosciences, which is moving the field beyond descriptive profiling of the microbiome to translating comprehensive biochemical insights into clinically useful products. In the past few weeks, the Princeton-based spatial biology company has kicked off a Phase 1 clinical trial for its first drug candidate, secured significant new backing from the Gates Foundation (closing a $48 million Series A financing, bringing Kanvas’s total funding to $78 million), and bolstered its scientific leadership by adding one of the most respected names in bioengineering to its board.

Clinical milestone

The most significant milestone in Kanvas’s evolution is the dosing of the first patients in a Phase I clinical trial for KAN-4. This live biotherapeutic product (LBP), resembling an ordinary pill, treats the colitis that many cancer patients develop after receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), allowing them to remain on the life-saving therapy longer.

One Type of Fat May Accelerate Brain Aging, But Scientists Say There’s a Fix

A higher level of the fat that gathers around organs has been linked to faster brain aging in a new study, with glucose and insulin the likely mediators.

The study, led by a team from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) in Israel, suggests that reducing visceral fat can protect against brain atrophy.

Like other parts of the body, the brain doesn’t necessarily age at a consistent rate: wear and tear can increase or decrease, depending on numerous factors. Faster brain aging typically means a faster decline in mental performance, and a higher risk of brain diseases.

Specialized RNA molecules could counter ALS neurodegeneration

Misshapen proteins cause a mess of trouble—particularly in neurodegenerative diseases. But a new study suggests it’s possible that giving them a little bit of extra support could keep them working correctly, and even reverse the damage they have caused.

The new research focuses on one such aberrant protein, TDP-43, which binds to RNA in the cell’s nucleus and is responsible for regulating thousands of human genes. If TDP-43 turns from a healthy, liquid-like phase into diseased, fibrous solid-like aggregates, its presence can be fatal.

This protein is one of the key drivers of the diseases amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD)—a discovery first made by pioneering Penn Medicine scientists Virginia M.-Y. Lee, Ph.D., MBA, and the late John Trojanowski, MD, Ph.D.

Harvard Scientists Reveal Secret Structure Behind How You Smell

The team also found that this layout in the nose aligns with corresponding maps in the olfactory bulb of the brain. This connection offers new clues about how scent signals travel from the nose into the brain.

The findings were published April 28 in Cell.

Scientists have long known how sensory receptors are arranged in the eyes, ears, and skin, and how those arrangements connect to the brain. Smell has been the exception.

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