Research & University News

AZ and Vanderbilt collaborate on allosteric modulators

Country
United States

AstraZeneca Plc has entered a research collaboration with Vanderbilt University of the US to identify allosteric modulators that could be used to treat psychosis and other symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia.

KU Leuven joins Parkinson’s research effort

Researchers at the Katholieke Universiteit in Leuven, Belgium have joined forces with two French pharmaceutical companies to discover new compounds targeting the  LRRK2 gene in Parkinson’s disease.

Roche to lead new IMI stem-cell project

Country
Belgium

The Roche Group is to coordinate a new project under the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) under which 1,500 induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell lines will be generated and characterised for use in the study of disease.

UK to create iPS cell repository

Country
United Kingdom

Leading institutions in the UK, including the Wellcome Trust, have announced plans to create a repository of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) in order to study how genetic variation and defects impact cell behaviour and disease.

US, Chinese cancer researchers discuss collaboration

Country
United States

A new effort to accelerate research into treatments for cancer is being made by researchers in the US and China who will meet in Beijing from 4 to 6 November to exchange information on modern molecular medicines as well as Chinese medicine.

Shire to study rare diseases with Italian charity

Country
Switzerland

In a move to strengthen its rare disease franchise, Shire Plc has entered into a research deal with Fondazione Telethon, an Italian biomedical charity, to investigate a number of lysosomal storage disorders and neurodegenerative diseases.

Nobel Prize awarded to cell biology pioneers

Country
Sweden

Two pioneers in cell biology, John Gurdon of the UK and Shinya Yamanaka of Japan, have been awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work in showing that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent.

MRC Technology reports on antibody project

Country
United Kingdom

A research project supported by MRC Technology of the UK and directed at new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, has reached an important threshold with the humanisation of a next-generation antibody binding to amyloid beta.

Brain neurons and diet said to influence obesity

Country
Germany

New research published in the EMBO Journal suggests that a specific type of neuron in the brain can influence the way the body breaks down and stores nutrients, providing further insight into obesity and other metabolic diseases.