USF study suggests memory-destroying tau tangles proliferate in brain when Hsp27 regulation is compromised Tampa, FL (Dec. 1, 2010) — Dynamic regulation of the chaperone protein Hsp27 was required to get rid of abnormally accumulating tau in the brains of mice genetically modified to develop the memory-choking tau tangles associated with Alzheimer’s disease, a University of South Florida-led study found. Researchers at the USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute demonstrated that the effective switching of Hsp27 between its active and deactivated states was critical on two fronts — to promote the […]

Researchers at USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute highlight advances, including a new generation of drugs that may slow or reverse the underlying disease Alzheimer’s disease drugs available today help improve symptoms for some patients, but do not stop or delay the abnormal build-up of plaques in the brain – a hallmark of the neurodegenerative disease that destroys memory. That may be about to change. The 98 investigational medicines for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, either in clinical trials or awaiting FDA review, include promising prospects that target the disease’s underlying […]

  With heartfelt excitement, dozens of supporters, faculty and patients gathered at USF Health Oct. 27 for a ribbon cutting that signified the long-awaited opening of Central Florida’s first major clinic focusing solely on patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) – also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The opening ceremony, held at USF Health’s Carol & Frank Morsani Center for Advanced Healthcare, included some of the Tampa Bay area’s strongest advocates in the fight against ALS. “So many in this room have been touched by ALS,” said Clifton Gooch, MD, professor and […]

Preclinical trials will establish dosage and safety Tampa, FL (Oct. 5, 2010) – The National Institutes of Health has awarded a three-year, $2.6-million grant to the University of South Florida and Tampa-based biotechnology company Saneron-CCEL Therapeutics, Inc., to establish dosing and safety guidelines for transplanting human umbilical cord blood cells (HUBC) into animal models of Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers hope to use the pre-clinical data to gain U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to carry out clinical trials with patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. “Our immediate goal is to move […]

USF researchers look for ways to protect fetal brain in mice from autism-like changes induced by inflammation Tampa, FL (Sept. 15, 2010) — University of South Florida neuroscientists have been awarded a $400,000 federal grant to study ways of protecting the developing fetal brain from the damaging  effects of maternal infections, a suspected cause for certain types of autism. The two-year grant from the National Institute of Mental Health was awarded to Jun Tan, MD, PhD, the Silver Chair in USF Health Developmental Neurobiology and professor of psychiatry at the Silver Child […]

Tampa, FL (Sept. 9, 2010) — Chad Dickey, PhD, an assistant professor in the USF Department of Molecular Medicine, was recently elected to the 13-member Board of Directors of the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) Florida Affiliate.  Dr. Dickey received his undergraduate degree in microbiology and his Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of South Florida (USF).  He completed his post-doctoral training at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville under the direction of Dr. Michael Hutton, an expert in the field of Alzheimer’s disease genetics. Chad Dickey, PhD Dr. Dickey […]

With all the significant scientific advancements presented, at the end of the symposium it was the people with Friedreich’s ataxia who gave the research meaning and value. They were people like Holly LeBlanc, who for eight months traveled back and forth from Holland, MI, to USF to participate in a pilot clinical trial testing effects of the drug varenicline on neurological symptoms of Friedreich’s ataxia.  She was back again August 26, with her mother and service dog Delsie, to attend the second annual scientific symposium hosted by the Friedreich’s Ataxia […]

New study by USF researchers shows the protein reduces Alzheimer’s disease pathology and eliminates memory loss Tampa, FL (August 23, 2010) — A signaling protein released during rheumatoid arthritis dramatically reduced Alzheimer’s disease pathology and reversed the memory impairment of mice bred to develop symptoms of the neurodegenerative disease, a new study by the University of South Florida reports. Researchers found that the protein, GM-CSF, likely stimulates the body’s natural scavenger cells to attack and remove Alzheimer’s amyloid deposits in the brain. The study appears online today in the Journal […]

Stem cells differentiate and proliferate, and so do stem cell research journals, USF neuroscientists say Tampa, FL (Aug. 17, 2010) — Are there too many stem cell research journals? This question has been posed by Dr. Paul Sanberg and Dr. Cesar Borlongan of the Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair at the University of South Florida. Their article appears in the current issue of Stem Cell Reviews and Reports. Both Dr. Sanberg and Dr. Borlongan are concerned about the quality of the science being published in the proliferating stem cell […]

Boosting SIRT1 in mice does not improve memory, but if gene is missing memory suffers Tampa, FL (Aug. 9, 2010) – SIRT1, a protein expressed by neurons in the brain’s hippocampus region, is critical for learning and memory, yet presents a paradox, reports an international team of researchers from the University of South Florida, the University of Southern California, Harvard University Medical School, the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health, the Institutos Nacionales de Salud of Mexico, and the University of Ottawa. The researchers found boosting […]