How do we know our approach is working? Recent progress.

June 2008 — Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Biomarkers Discovery

A major new program to discover and validate biomarkers for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease is well underway at the Harvard NeuroDiscovery Center. Biomarkers are readily measured indicators of disease status. They allow physicians to measure disease severity and progression, and researchers to test new therapies. The NeuroDiscovery Center launched this collaborative effort to collect a large and valuable set of patient samples to be shared by the community – and beyond – as part of a common effort to discover and test new biomarkers for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. For details, click here.

Spring 2008 — Largest ever MS genetics study now underway

The Harvard NeuroDiscovery Center is part of a 20-group worldwide/collaboration to complete the largest ever genetics study of MS. Due to the sheer size of the study (over 10 billion data points are expected), it is anticipated that the study will identify all MS risk genes. This initiative illustrates the power of collaboration. By establishing the International MS Genetics Consortium, its member research institutions have the opportunity to pool DNA samples from more than 10,000 thousand patients. Individually, none of the participating research institutions would have the capacity to complete a study of this size and complexity. For information about the Consortium’s previously published MS genetics results, including the publication of its latest research in the August 2007 New England Journal of Medicine, and details of our new study, click here.

May 2008 — Expanding research focus

The Harvard NeuroDiscovery Center has received a $250,000 anonymous gift to purchase a new high tech research instrument – one of the first of its kind in the world. The gift also will fund a 3-year initiative to study and develop a new research tool based on miRNA. The discovery of miRNA resulted in the Nobel Prize in medicine in 2006. Research suggests that miRNA functions to control genes, and is involved in the most basic regulatory process of a cell. When such cell regulation processes go awry it may cause disease. Like other Harvard NeuroDiscovery Center programs, this new equipment and miRNA research capability will be available to neuroscientists from across the collaborative 700+ member community.

January 2008 — NEW awards for pilot studies

Together with the Massachusetts’ Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, the Harvard NeuroDiscovery Center funded a new batch of pilot study awards to provide early funding for translational research on Alzheimer’s disease, ALS, Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative disorders. Out of 30 applications, 8 were selected for funding. Funded grants totaled $245,000. Selection criteria included the likelihood that the project would yield strong preliminary data that could support a major grant application, particularly promising and exciting young investigators, and a research plan that took advantage of community resources and collaborative opportunities. For details, click here.

June 2008 — NEW collaborative ALS drug discovery initiative

Thanks to generous support from Project ALS, the ALS Therapy Alliance and several private donors, a major new ALS drug discovery program is now underway at the Harvard NeuroDiscovery Center. CADDI (Collaborative ALS Drug Discovery Initiative) will establish a robust pipeline of early stage ALS drug discovery projects, and help ensure the development of the most promising projects to the point that they attract interest from the commercial sector. With the recent issuance nationwide of a request for drug discovery projects/proposals, the Program will select drug discovery ideas and collaborators from around the world to collaborate on ALS drug development. For details, click here.