trouble viewing? try this version
From AlzheimerVideoNews.com
Los Angeles
November 19, 2008
A new scientific report from China, published online ahead of print on November 1, 2008 in the journal Brain Research[1] is the latest in a series of new articles which support an anti-TNF approach for Alzheimer's disease. TNF stands for tumor necrosis factor-alpha, an immune molecule which is now known to regulate communication between brain cells. Excess TNF in the brain has previously been shown to occur in Alzheimer's disease, and to accompany disease progression.
The Brain Research report joins a series of new scientific articles which cite Dr. Tobinick's scientific publications in this field. This new series includes, in just the last few weeks, articles from researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine[2]; the Brown University Geriatric Psychopharmacology Update[3], the Brain and Spinal Injury Center at the University of California San Francisco[4] and Neurology, Harvard University, Children's Hospital, Boston[4]; the Yale University School of Medicine[5]; the University of British Columbia[6]; the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas[7,9]; and the Center for Neural Development and Disease and the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology at the University of Rochester Medical Center[8].
For example, the researchers from the University of Rochester, in their article published October 30, 2008 in the American Journal of Pathology[8], state: "Data from our model suggest that a chronic inflammatory event mediated by TNF-alpha contributes to AD-related neuronal death and provides the rationale for developing TNF-alpha specific agents to subvert the disease process. Support for such an endeavor is preliminarily provided by a recently conducted open-label pilot study, where mild to severe AD patients were perispinally administered etanercept, a human TNFRII antagonist. After 6 months of treatment, a subset of patients exhibited cognitive improvement, suggesting that interfering with TNF-alpha mediated signaling can improve disease symptomatology."
It is apparent that there is increasing scientific interest in Dr. Tobinick's work with perispinal etanercept for Alzheimer's disease from academic medical centers from across the U.S. Perispinal etanercept is a patented* new approach to Alzheimer's disease which was developed at the Institute for Neurological Research®, a private medical group, inc. (INR®) in Los Angeles. Please visit the website of the INR® for further information, at www.nrimed.com.
The full-text of these articles is available online and their complete references are found below.
*U.S. patents 6,982,089; 7,214,658, and additional issued and pending patents assigned to TACT IP, LLC.
References:
1. Yang L, Lu R, Jiang L, Liu Z, Peng Y. Expression and genetic analysis of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) G-308A polymorphism in sporadic Alzheimer's disease in a Southern China population. Brain Res. 2008 Nov 1. [Epub ahead of print].
2. Steinman, L., Nuanced roles of cytokines in three major human brain disorders. J Clin Invest, 2008. 118(11): p. 3557-63.
3. Brown University Geriatric Psychopharmacology Update, volume 12, number 10 October 2008 p. 4, International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease 2008: Summary of New Research: Perispinal Etanercept Improves Primary Progressive Aphasia.
4. Ferguson, A.R., R.N. Christensen, J.C. Gensel, B.A. Miller, et al., Cell death after spinal cord injury is exacerbated by rapid TNFalpha-induced trafficking of GluR2-lacking AMPARs to the plasma membrane. J Neurosci, 2008. 28(44): p. 11391-400.
5. van Dyck, C.H., Imaging microglial activation in Alzheimer's disease: what does it mean? Biol Psychiatry, 2008. 64(10): p. 833-4.
6. Schwab, C. and P.L. McGeer, Inflammatory aspects of Alzheimer disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. J Alzheimers Dis, 2008. 13(4): p. 359-69.
7. McCoy MK, Tansey MG. TNF signaling inhibition in the CNS: implications for normal brain function and neurodegenerative disease. J Neuroinflammation. 2008 Oct 17;5:45.
8. Janelsins, M.C., M.A. Mastrangelo, K.M. Park, K.L. Sudol, et al., Chronic Neuron-Specific Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha Expression Enhances the Local Inflammatory Environment Ultimately Leading to Neuronal Death in 3xTg-AD Mice. Am J Pathol, 2008 Oct 30. PMID:18974297.
9. McAlpine FE, Tansey MG. Neuroinflammation and tumor necrosis factor signaling in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease. J Inflammation Res. 2008:I 29-39
Comments