Autism and nitric oxide: Professor Haitham Amal unveils brain disorder breakthrough

Hebrew University neuroscientist shares personal journey and research vision in latest Genomic Press interview series

2024-11-12

(Press-News.org) Boston, Massachusetts, 12 November 2024 – The complex interplay between nitric oxide and brain disorders takes center stage in the latest Genomic Press Interview, published November 12, 2024, in Brain Medicine. Professor Haitham Amal, head of the Laboratory of Neuromics, Cell Signaling, and Translational Medicine at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, shares insights into his groundbreaking research and personal motivation.

“Meeting families and children with autism in Boston during my time at MIT inspired me to focus on a single goal: to help develop biological diagnostics and treatment for autism spectrum disorder,” Professor Amal reveals. This pivotal experience shaped his research trajectory, leading to significant discoveries about the role of nitric oxide in neurological conditions. Prof. Amal was the first to discover that nitric oxide (NO) plays a pivotal role in autism.

The interview highlights Professor Amal's unique approach to understanding brain disorders, combining proteomics with systems biology. His research has uncovered crucial links between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and Alzheimer's disease, suggesting shared molecular mechanisms that could revolutionize treatment approaches for both conditions.

“As a pharmacologist and neuroscientist, my unique expertise in understanding how drugs impact the brain is instrumental in achieving my goal of developing treatments for neurological disorders,” Professor Amal explains. His work has already led to the establishment of two biotechnology companies: Point6 Bio Ltd for ASD diagnostics and NeuroNOS Ltd for developing nitric oxide synthase inhibitors-based therapeutics for autism, Alzheimer’s disease and brain cancers.

The interview raises intriguing questions about the future of neurological treatment:

• Could targeting nitric oxide pathways provide a unified approach to treating both neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders?

• How might early biological diagnostics transform autism intervention strategies?

• What role will personalized medicine play in addressing individual variations in brain disorders?

Professor Amal's journey from studying cannabis effects on cognition to becoming a leading figure in neurological research demonstrates the unexpected paths that can lead to scientific breakthroughs. His commitment to conducting experiments on both sexes equally and interest in aging mechanisms suggests a comprehensive approach to brain research that could yield additional insights.

Currently on sabbatical at Harvard University, Professor Amal continues to push boundaries in neuroscience while mentoring the next generation of researchers. His work has garnered international recognition, including the prestigious Eagles Autism Foundation Research Grant, marking him as the first international scientist to receive this honor.

Professor Haitham Amal’s Genomic Press interview is part of a larger series that highlights the people behind today’s most influential scientific ideas. Each interview in the series offers a blend of cutting-edge research and personal reflections, providing readers with a comprehensive view of the scientists shaping the future. By combining a focus on professional achievements with personal insights, this interview style invites a richer narrative that both engages and educates readers. This format provides an ideal starting point for profiles that delve into the scientist’s impact on the field, while also touching on broader human themes. More information on the research leaders and research rising stars featured by Genomic Press can be found in our website: https://genomicpress.com.

The full Genomic Press Interview, titled “Haitham Amal: Nitric oxide is a shared molecular mechanism of multiple neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders” is available on 12 November 2024 in Brain Medicine, providing detailed insights into Dr. Amal’s research methodology and vision for the future of addiction neuroscience. The interview is freely available online at https://url.genomicpress.com/bdcrvkrw.

About Brain Medicine: Brain Medicine (ISSN: 2997-2639) is a peer-reviewed journal published by Genomic Press, New York. Brain Medicine is a new home for the cross-disciplinary pathway from innovation in fundamental neuroscience to translational initiatives in brain medicine. The journal’s scope includes the underlying science, causes, outcomes, treatments, and societal impact of brain disorders, across all clinical disciplines and their interface.

END

[Attachments] See images for this press release:

Autism and nitric oxide: Professor Haitham Amal unveils brain disorder breakthrough 2

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Facing the wind: How trees behave across various forest settings and weather events

2024-11-12

Destructive winds during storms and cyclones often cause tree failures, especially through uprooting and stem breakage. However, how trees respond to wind under various forest configurations and weather conditions remains unclear. A recent study on Cryptomeria japonica plots shows that trees dissipate wind energy by switching between two swaying behaviors at specific wind speeds, offering insights that may help in improved forest management to minimize damage caused by storms. Extreme weather events, such as tropical and extratropical cyclones and tornadoes, can cause widespread damage to forests, leading to environmental and financial ...

High-performance inkjet print head enhances bioprinting productivity

2024-11-12

Bioprinting is a technology used to create three-dimensional structures, such as human tissues or organs, using bio-inks made of cells and hydrogels. However, conventional inkjet technology has difficulty dispensing bio-inks that are sensitive to temperature due to the heat generated during operation. Furthermore, conventional 3D bioprinting mainly utilizes simple syringe-type printing devices with a single needle, making it time-consuming to produce artificial organs like the brain, lungs, and heart. The Bionics Research Center team, led by Dr. Byung Chul Lee at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST, President Sang-Rok Oh), in ...

Opioid use disorder: Updated clinical practice guideline

2024-11-12

La version française suit Opioid use disorder: updated clinical practice guideline An updated evidence-based guideline aimed at helping clinicians and other health care providers manage patients with opioid use disorder recommends buprenorphine and methadone as first-line treatments. The guideline is published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.241173 Opioid use and opioid use disorder are the leading causes of drug-related deaths worldwide, and Canada ...

Microneedle sensors for dermal interstitial fluid analysis

2024-11-12

The rapid advancement in personalized healthcare has driven the development of wearable biomedical devices for real-time biomarker monitoring and diagnosis. Traditional invasive blood-based diagnostics are painful and limited to sporadic health snapshots. To address these limitations, microneedle-based sensing platforms have emerged, utilizing interstitial fluid (ISF) as an alternative biofluid for continuous health monitoring in a minimally invasive and painless manner. The team led by Wei Gao from California Institute of Technology providea a comprehensive overview of microneedle sensor technology, covering microneedle design, fabrication methods, ...

‘Sleepy cannabis’: first study to show cannabinol increases sleep

2024-11-12

Research by scientists at the University of Sydney has identified a constituent in the cannabis plant that improves sleep. Their report is the first to use objective measures to show the component, known as cannabinol (CBN), increases sleep in rats. The study has been published in the leading journal Neuropsychopharmacology. “For decades, cannabis folklore has suggested that aged cannabis makes consumers sleepy via the build-up of CBN, however there was no convincing evidence for this,” said lead author on the study Professor Jonathon Arnold, ...

Mount Sinai team shows AI can detect serious neurologic changes in babies in the NICU using video data alone

2024-11-12

A team of clinicians, scientists, and engineers at Mount Sinai trained a deep learning pose-recognition algorithm on video feeds of infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to accurately track their movements and identify key neurologic metrics. Findings from this new artificial intelligence (AI)-based tool, published November 11 in Lancet’s eClinicalMedicine, could lead to a minimally invasive, scalable method for continuous neurologic monitoring in NICUs, providing critical real-time insights into infant health that have not been possible before. Every year, more than 300,000 ...

Jeffrey Popma, MD, joins CRF as Chief Scientific and Strategic Officer

2024-11-11

NEW YORK – November 11, 2024 – The Cardiovascular Research Foundation® (CRF®) proudly announces the appointment of Dr. Jeffrey Popma as Chief Scientific and Strategic Officer. A world-renowned leader in cardiovascular research, Dr. Popma will drive forward pivotal programs and initiatives that will shape CRF’s future and fuel innovation at the CRF® Clinical Trials Center (CTC). His leadership will be instrumental in the development of the recently launched Real-World Data and Outcomes Center, advancing CRF’s commitment to impactful ...

Seiber elevated to IEEE senior member

2024-11-11

Larry Seiber, an R&D staff member in the Vehicle Power Electronics group at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been elevated to senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, or IEEE. Senior member status requires extensive experience that reflects professional accomplishments. Only 10% of IEEE’s more than 450,000 members achieve this level. Seiber has conducted decades of cutting-edge research in power electronics and electric machinery. He developed the hardware ...

Study sheds light on how BRCA1 gene mutations fuel breast cancer

2024-11-11

People inherit two copies of each gene — one from each parent — an evolutionary fail-safe to ensure survival even when one of them doesn’t function. For cancer-suppressor genes like BRCA1, researchers have long hypothesized that a single healthy copy could still guard against tumor development. Yet women with one harmful BRCA1 mutation are far more likely to develop breast cancer — a risk traditionally explained by a second mutation that arises later in life, damages the healthy copy of the gene, ...

A new wrinkle in turtles: Their genomes fold in a unique way, Iowa State researchers find

2024-11-11

AMES, Iowa – In their long strings of nucleotides, DNA molecules hold massive troves of genetic data providing instructions for how living organisms should function – the blueprint of life. How the blueprint is stored, however, impacts how it is read and used. As cells divide and replicate, DNA strands coiled around proteins – chromatin – are in tightly bundled chromosomes. After division, the chromosomes loosen and chromatin is less compact. How and where the chromatin fiber folds and ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

As farm jobs decline, food industry work holds steady

Kennesaw State researcher aiming to move AI beyond the cloud

Revolutionizing impedance flow cytometry with adjustable microchannel height

Treating opioid addiction in jails improves treatment engagement, reduces overdose deaths and reincarceration

Can’t sleep? Insomnia associated with accelerated brain aging

Study links teacher turnover to higher rates of student suspensions, disciplinary referrals

How harmful bacteria hijack crops

Crowded conditions muddle frogs’ mating choices

A new way to guide light, undeterred

Researchers uncover how COVID-19 may linger in cancer patients and affect treatment outcomes

Tiny metal figurines from Sardinia's Nuragic civilization in around 1,000 BC reveal extensive ancient Mediterranean metal trading networks

Natural microfibers may degrade differently to synthetic materials under simulated sunlight exposure in freshwater and seawater conditions, with implications for how such pollutants affect aquatic lif

Indian new mums report better postpartum wellbeing when their own mum acts as their primary support - while women whose mother-in-law is the primary caregiver instead report significantly lower overal