Noninvasive brain tumor biopsy on the horizon
Taking a biopsy of a brain tumor is a complicated and invasive surgical process, but a team of researchers at Washington University in St. Louis is developing a way that allows them to detect tumor biomarkers through a simple blood test.
Midlife changes in Alzheimer’s biomarkers may predict dementia
Studying brain scans and cerebrospinal fluid of healthy
adults, scientists have shown that changes in key markers of
Alzheimer’s disease during midlife may help identify those who will
develop dementia years later, according to new research.
Biomarkers of cell death in Alzheimer’s reverse course after symptom onset
Three promising biomarkers being studied to detect Alzheimer’s disease in its early stages appear to undergo a surprising shift as patients develop symptoms of dementia, researchers led by Anne Fagan, PhD, at the School of Medicine report.
Alzheimer’s markers predict start of mental decline
School of Medicine researchers have shown that several markers for presymptomatic Alzheimer’s disease identified in recent years are accurate predictors of Alzheimer’s years before symptoms develop. Catherine Roe, PhD, says researchers found no differences in the accuracy of the biomarkers.
Are human genes patentable?
On April 15, the Supreme Court will hear oral argument
in Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, a case that
could answer the question, “Under what conditions, if any, are isolated
human genes patentable?” Kevin Emerson Collins, JD, patent law expert
and professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis, believes
that layered uncertainties make this case an unusually difficult case in
which to predict the outcome.
First detailed timeline established for brain’s descent into Alzheimer’s
Scientists have assembled the most detailed chronology
to date of the human brain’s long, slow slide into full-blown
Alzheimer’s disease. Through an international research partnership known as
the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer’s Network (DIAN), scientists at
Washington University and elsewhere evaluated pre-symptomatic markers of Alzheimer’s disease in subjects from
families genetically predisposed to develop the disorder.
Estrogen-lowering drugs reduce mastectomy rates for breast cancer patients
In the first large trial of its kind in the United States, researchers have shown that estrogen-lowering drugs can shrink tumors and reduce mastectomy rates for patients with stage 2 or 3 breast cancer.
Exercise may reduce Alzheimer’s disease brain changes
Walking, jogging and other forms of regular aerobic exercise may actually ward off the onset of Alzheimer’s disease pathology in the brain, suggests newly published research from Washington University in St. Louis.