In this issue:  Science   |  Abstracts  |  Industry News   |  Policy Subscribe   |   Unsubscribe    TOP STORIES Stretched Nerve 'Bridges' Trigger Repair Researchers have shown that artificially stretched nerve "bridges" can guide the natural regrowth of damaged nerve tissue in rats. SCIENCE Scientists Report Important Step in Biomarker Testing for Alzheimer's Disease Scientists have made a significant step forward in developing a test to help diagnose the early stages of Alzheimer's disease sooner and more accurately by measuring two biomarkers - tau and beta-amyloid proteins - in cerebrospinal fluid. New Stem Cell Therapy May Lead To Treatment for Deafness A new study from the University of Sheffield has successfully isolated human auditory stem cells from fetal cochleae (the auditory portion of the inner ear) and found they had the capacity to differentiate into sensory hair cells and neurons. New Target for Alzheimer's Disease Therapy Researchers at the VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam and the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands discovered that the unfolded protein response contributes to nerve cell death in Alzheimer's Disease. St. Jude Medical Announces First European Patient Implants of the Libra Deep Brain Stimulation Systems for Parkinson's Disease St. Jude Medical, Inc. recently announced the first patient implants of its Libra(R) deep brain stimulation system for treating the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Brain Building: Study Shows Brain Growth Tied to Cell Division in Mouse Embryos In a recent study, researchers report that mouse protein Vangl2 controls the asymmetrical cell division and developmental fate of progenitor neurons. New Insights Into How Brain Responds To Viral Infection Scientists have discovered that astrocytes respond to a molecule that mimics a viral infection using cellular machinery similar to that used by classical immune cells in the blood. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Neuroscientists Propose Project to Comprehensively Map Mammalian Brain Circuits At long last, the time has come, they argue in a just-published paper, to assemble a comprehensive map of the major neural circuits in the mammalian brain. TriMark Point of Care Testing Conference 2009 May 11, 2009  |  San Diego, California Enter "CONNEXON" at checkout and receive 10% off registration. Visit here to register today. Visit our events page to stay up to date with the latest events in the cell, gene and immunotherapy community. ABSTRACTS Synaptic Plasticity, Neurogenesis, and Functional Recovery after Spinal Cord Injury To grasp the scope of spinal cord injury, it is important to begin by defining the sensory motor pathways that might be involved by a spinal injury. Endogenous Hepatocyte Growth Factor Is a Niche Signal for Subventricular Zone Neural Stem Cell Amplification and Self-Renewal In the present report, the researchers describe a growth-stimulatory activity of liver explant-conditioned media on SVZ cell cultures and identify hepatocyte growth factor as a major player in this effect. LMO4 Controls the Balance between Excitatory and Inhibitory Spinal V2 Interneurons Here, the researchers provide a transcriptional regulatory mechanism underlying the diversification of immature V2-interneurons' balanced production. Neurons Detect Increases and Decreases in Oxygen Levels Using Distinct Guanylate Cyclases Here the researchers use behavioral analysis, functional imaging, and genetics to show that reciprocal changes in O2 levels are encoded by sensory neurons that express alternative sets of sGCs. INDUSTRY ArunA Biomedical, Inc. Announces Alliance with Neuromics for Distribution of Normal Human Neural Cells ArunA Biomedical, Inc., announced recently an agreement with Neuromics, Inc. giving Neuromics the right to non-exclusively market and sell the ArunA hN2(TM) Human Neural Cells and Neural Culture Medium to support applications in neurological research. Neurobiological Technologies Announces Hiring of Advisor to Seek Sale of Company Neurobiological Technologies, Inc. announced recently that it has hired RBC Capital Markets as its exclusive financial advisor to assist in the evaluation of various options to enhance shareholder value, including a potential sale of the Company or its major assets. Neuraltus Pharma Raises $17 Million Neuraltus Pharmaceuticals Inc. has raised $17 million in Series A funding. Salk Institute Signs Strategic Alliance with sanofi-aventis The Salk Institute recently announced that it has signed a strategic alliance agreement with sanofi-aventis, establishing a joint program that supports cutting-edge research and promotes an exchange of discoveries focused on scientific advances and therapeutic applications. HHMI Gives 50 Early Career Scientists a Jump on Their Next Big Idea Fifty of the nation's best early career science faculty will have more time and resources to focus on their boldest research ideas with support from a new initiative from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. BrainCells Inc. Appoints Philip Jochelson, M.D. Chief Medical Officer and Jason Levin Chief Business Officer BrainCells Inc. announced recently the appointment of Dr. Philip Jochelson as chief medical officer and Jason Levin as chief business officer. POLICY Louisiana State Law Forbids Embryonic Stem Cell Research, Stunting Industry The moral debate over embryonic stem-cell research is now an issue of economics in Louisiana. US Stem Cell Research Still Limited by a Dickey-Wicker So, President Obama has rescued US stem cell research from the dark old days of George Bush, right? Er, not just yet...  Learn more about Neural Cell News:  Archives  |  Events   |  Subscribe   |  Contact Us This email was sent by: Connexon Creative 400-570 W. 7th Avenue Vancouver, British Columbia V5Z 1B3 Canada