Keck School establishes USC Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Research Institute

An institute focusing on the development of new effective treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease has been established by the Keck School of Medicine of USC.

The USC Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Research Institute (USC ATRI) in San Diego will be led by a distinguished Read More »

June 22nd, 2015|Announcements, Keck Net Intranet|

Exploring the connection between Alzheimer’s disease and stroke

By Shelby Roberts

Alzheimer’s disease is the No. 6 cause of death in the United States, and stroke is the No. 4 cause.

Helena Chui, MD, chair, Department of Neurology, Raymond and Betty McCarron Chair in Neurology, and professor of neurology and gerontology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, recently gave a presentation on Alzheimer’s disease and its relation to stroke on Nov. 6 as the sixth lecture in an ongoing Stroke Seminar Series at the Rio Hando Community Center in Downey, Calif. The event was hosted by the Roxanna Todd Hodges Stroke Foundation. Read More »

December 24th, 2013|Announcements|

L.A. benefactor pledges $5M to Alzheimer’s research at USC

Zlokovic named holder of newly endowed chair; brings total Zilkha giving to $30M

By Alison Trinidad

Los Angeles residents Selim Zilkha and Mary Hayley are raising the stakes in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease, the only cause of death among the top 10 in the United States that cannot currently be prevented, cured or slowed.

Zilkha, a member of the Keck School of Medicine of USC Board of Overseers, has pledged a gift of $5 million to the school to fund a new endowed chair in Alzheimer’s disease research. This latest gift brings Zilkha’s total giving to neuroscience research at the Keck School to more than $30 million. Read More »

December 13th, 2013|Announcements|

First Zilkha Alzheimer’s Mini-Symposium examines vascular system connections

By Christine Chan and Amy E. Hamaker

Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, and more than five million Americans live with the disease, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Conquering Alzheimer’s was the focus of the first Zilkha Mini­ Symposium on Alzheimer’s Research at USC.

The symposium, held on Aug. 26 in honor of a visit by
the Alzheimer’s Association’s Maria Carrillo, PhD, and Susan Galeas, MSW, MPH, covered a variety of topics, including brain imaging and mapping, genomics, the blood-brain barrier, new therapeutics for Alzheimer’s disease and an overview of clinical research at USC. Read More »

November 20th, 2013|Announcements|

USC professors recieve NIH funding for clinical trial of Alzheimer’s drug

By Kukla Vera

USC Professors Roberta Diaz Brinton, PhD, of the USC School of Pharmacy and Lon Schneider, MD, MS, of the Keck School of Medicine of USC are principal investigators of a newly funded study from the National Institutes of Health, aimed at testing promising drugs for the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.

The USC project, “Allopregnanolone Regenerative Therapeutic for MCI/Alzheimer’s: Dose Finding Phase 1,” is the first clinical trial to evaluate the safety and tolerability of using allopregnanolone (Allo), a natural brain steroid, in treating mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease, as part of an intensified national effort to find effective interventions for the degenerative brain disease. Read More »

October 2nd, 2013|Announcements|

IGM HOSTS PUBLIC FORM

The Institute for Genetic Medicine recently hosted “Memories of the Way We Were,” a public forum on mental health issues related to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Discussion topics at the June 22 forum included Alzheimer’s and dementia research and treatment, music therapy for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients, caregiver support, the effects of cross-generational interaction (seniors and preschool children), and new technological therapy options. Read More »

July 26th, 2013|Announcements|

New USC research points to prospective avenue of treatment for Alzheimer’s patients

By Sara Reeve

A USC team of scientists has published research that highlights a new potential therapeutic agent for patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers from the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute at the Keck School of Medicine of USC have found that a mutant protein helps to bind amyloid beta peptide in the brain more efficiently than a wild type — or naturally occurring — version. Amyloid beta peptide (Aβ) is a primary component of amyloid plaques — deposits found in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease patients — and most researchers believe it plays a central role in the development of Alzheimer’s.  Read More »

June 24th, 2013|Announcements|

Research points to prospective treatment for Alzheimer’s patients

By Sara Reeve

A USC team of scientists has published research that highlights a new potential therapeutic agent for patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers from the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute at the Keck School of Medicine of USC have found that a mutant protein helps to bind amyloid beta peptide in the brain more efficiently than a wild type — or naturally occurring — version. Amyloid beta peptide (Aβ) is a primary component of amyloid plaques — deposits found in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease patients — and most researchers believe it plays a central role in the development of Alzheimer’s. Read More »

June 21st, 2013|Announcements|

Cinical trial examines natural alternatives to estrogen

By Molly Rugg

Physicians and neuroscientists at USC are enrolling female volunteers into a National Institutes of Health-funded clinical trial studying the effects of soy supplements on menopause-related hot flashes and memory loss. Sponsored by the Keck School of Medicine of USC and USC School of Pharmacy, the clinical trial will examine how healthy peri- and post-menopausal women tolerate a nutritional supplement called phytoSERM.

PhytoSERMs are a food supplement that contain three different phytoestrogens: daidzen, genistein and equol. Phytoestrogens are naturally occurring compounds derived from plants and function like the primary female sex hormone—estrogen.

Read More »

May 10th, 2013|Announcements|