April 5, 2016
This post was written by Nicole Le, a guest blogger.
Imagine if we could clear the brain of plaque that accumulates and causes Alzheimer’s disease (AD) as simply as having the plaque removed from our teeth? The body has a natural clearing mechanism in place to rid the brain of these deposits, but if this mechanism gets overwhelmed or disrupted, the plaques can accumulate and lead to neurodegeneration. Continue reading “Closing in on the causes of Alzheimer’s disease”
January 20, 2016
Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a common disorder that slowly destroys patients’ memory, is a highly complex disease. The condition arises when neuronal connections are lost following the accumulation of clumps of the protein beta-amyloid (called plaques) and the failure of mitochondria—the power plants within cells. Because there are many pathways that can contribute to both processes, understanding how AD progresses in all patients requires synthesizing the results of many research studies.
December 28, 2015
$2 billion dollars for 10 years. That’s what democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has proposed infusing into research to end Alzheimer’s by 2025.
With more than 5 million people living with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia, including 60,000 in San Diego, the additional funds would propel many important research projects forward.
SBP’s Senior Vice President of Drug Discovery and Development, Michael Jackson, PhD, and Alzheimer’s San Diego CEO Mary Ball appeared on the KUSI news in San Diego on December 22nd to talk about the Clinton proposal and the status of Alzheimer’s research here in San Diego.
Watch the video here
September 2, 2015
A new Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) study takes a step forward in understanding how similar, yet genetically unrelated neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, frontal temporal dementia, and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) are caused by the protein tau. The findings, published today in Neuron, create new opportunities to target this key protein that leads to the brain lesions found in patients with impaired motor functions and dementia. Continue reading “How protein tangles accumulate in the brain and cause neurological disorders”
January 5, 2015
This post was written by Janelle Weaver, PhD, a freelance writer.
When cells are faced with unfavorable environmental conditions, such as limited nutrient availability, the activation of adaptive stress responses can help protect them against damage or death. For example, stressed cells can maintain sufficient energy levels for survival by degrading and recycling unnecessary or dysfunctional cellular components. This survival mechanism, known as autophagy (literally, ‘self-digestion’), also plays key roles in a variety of biological processes such as development and aging, and is often perturbed in various diseases. Even though tight control of autophagy is key to survival, relatively little is known about the signaling molecules that regulate this essential process. Continue reading “Newly discovered cell stress pathway could hold therapeutic promise for diverse diseases”
December 10, 2014
San Diego has formed an unprecedented coalition to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. The Alzheimer’s Project, conceived of by county Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Dianne Jacob, is an initiative with aims of both finding a cure and helping the 60,000 county residents who have the disease. Guided by a steering committee led by Jacob and chaired by Supervisor Dave Roberts, the Project brings a diverse team of experts in research, caregiving, health care, philanthropy, and community support to assimilate and execute a five-year plan with a goal to conquer the disease once and for all. Continue reading “Sanford-Burnham plays key role in San Diego Alzheimer’s Project”
December 9, 2014
This post was written by Janelle Weaver, PhD, a freelance writer.
Animals ranging from fish to humans produce a vitamin-A metabolite called retinoic acid, which plays an important role in growth and embryonic development and protects against diseases such as cancer. By regulating the activity of key genes, retinoic acid causes immature cells called embryonic stem cells to turn into mature, specialized cells such as neurons. “Neurons—the building blocks of the nervous system—are particularly important cell types in therapy, due to the fact that they normally don’t reproduce or replace themselves after they become damaged,” said Laszlo Nagy, MD, PhD, director of the Genomic Control of Metabolism Program and professor in the Diabetes and Obesity Research Center at Sanford-Burnham’s Lake Nona campus. “Despite their crucial role, we still have a limited understanding regarding the molecular programs that coordinate their functionality.” Continue reading “Enzymes could be key for brain cancer and Alzheimer’s disease”
November 19, 2014
In a new study published in ACS Chemical Biology, Sanford-Burnham’s Stefan Riedl and Elena Pasquale created a molecule with an improved ability to block the activation of a cell receptor called EphA4. When EphA4 is activated, it can hinder the ability of neurons to repair themselves and exacerbates certain degenerative processes, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)—often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease; Alzheimer’s disease; and stroke. The molecule is a cyclic peptide that represents a promising therapeutic lead for targeting neurodegenerative diseases and some cancers. Continue reading “Using geometry to design new drugs”
November 7, 2014
November is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. If you know nine people over the age of 65, at least one of them has Alzheimer’s disease. Learn 10 facts about the disease that may change your life, and check out highlights of how Sanford-Burnham is contributing to the efforts to diagnose, prevent, and treat this devastating disease. Continue reading “What’s the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S.? Alzheimer’s disease.”
October 23, 2014
A new study by researchers at Sanford-Burnham reveals the process that leads to changes in the brains of individuals with Down syndrome—the same changes that cause dementia in Alzheimer’s patients. The findings, published in Cell Reports, have important implications for the development of treatments that can prevent damage in neuronal connectivity and brain function in Down syndrome and other neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease. Continue reading “Why people with Down syndrome invariably develop Alzheimer’s disease”