One drug offers hope for stroke patients

Protein aggregation inhibitor shows lower levels of cell death and paralysis in mice with acute strokes

2025-07-15

(Press-News.org) Stroke is said to be the second leading cause of death worldwide after heart disease. To prevent the death of neurons in the brain, a research group led by Osaka Metropolitan University Associate Professor Hidemitsu Nakajima of the Graduate School of Veterinary Science has developed a drug that inhibits a protein involved in cell death.

The multifunctional protein GAPDH (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase) is linked to pathogenesis in many intractable brain and nervous system diseases. The team developed GAI-17, a GAPDH aggregation inhibitor. When this inhibitor was administered to model mice with acute strokes, there was a significantly lower level of brain cell death and paralysis compared to untreated mice.

GAI-17 also showed no side effects of concern, such as adverse effects on the heart or cerebrovascular system. Furthermore, experiments using GAI-17 showed improvement in the mice even when administered six hours after a stroke.

“The GAPDH aggregation inhibitor we have developed is expected to be a single drug that can treat many intractable neurological diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease,” stated Professor Nakajima. “Going forward, we will verify the effectiveness of this approach in disease models other than stroke and promote further practical research toward the realization of a healthy and long-lived society.”

The findings were published in iScience.

###

About OMU 

Established in Osaka as one of the largest public universities in Japan, Osaka Metropolitan University is committed to shaping the future of society through “Convergence of Knowledge” and the promotion of world-class research. For more research news, visit https://www.omu.ac.jp/en/ and follow us on social media: X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn.

END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Mental health from supermarket shelves? This is the evidence we have about over-the-counter herbal products and dietary supplements used for depression

2025-07-15

by Rachael Frost Most people have heard of St John’s Wort and omega-3s. But did you know there are a lot more over-the-counter herbal products and supplements out there targeting depression? In our review of clinical trials of these products, we found 64 different over-the-counter (OTC) products that have been evaluated for depression – but with differing levels of evidence for each. Why look at this topic? Depression is increasingly common, to the extent that it is sometimes described as an ...

Survey finds Americans choose short term relief for neck and back pain

2025-07-15

EMBARGOED UNTIL THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2025 AT 12:01 AM ET Survey Finds Americans Choose Short Term Relief for Neck and Back Pain Doctors say treatment should be individualized ORLANDO, FL — New survey data from the Orlando Health Spine Center reveals a significant difference among Americans on how to manage neck and back pain. Respondents were split between relying on rest and reduced activity (44%), turning to over-the-counter pain relievers (42%), and hot/cold therapies (29%) — an uncertainty that may be discouraging some from seeking medical guidance. “We ...

New survey shows cancer anxiety has impact well beyond individual diagnosed

2025-07-15

A cancer diagnosis is a life-changing event for patients that can cause short- and long-term mental health concerns as they shift to living within a new timeline driven by weeks or months between medical follow-up appointments. A new survey conducted on behalf of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) highlights the widespread emotional impact of cancer, revealing what weighs heavy on the minds of adults when a loved one is diagnosed. Kevin Johns, MD, director ...

New route into cells could make gene therapies safer

2025-07-15

Scientists from the Centenary Institute and the University of Sydney have made a landmark discovery that could lead to safer and more effective gene therapies for a range of serious genetic disorders including Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Pompe disease and haemophilia. Published in the leading journal Cell, the study identifies a previously unknown gateway into human cells, a receptor called AAVR2, that gene therapy viruses use to deliver therapeutic genes. This newly uncovered pathway could allow lower ...

Team discovers electrochemical method for highly selective single-carbon insertion in aromatic rings

2025-07-15

A research team has discovered an electrochemical method that allows highly selective para-position single-carbon insertion into polysubstituted pyrroles. Their approach has important applications in synthetic organic chemistry, especially in the field of pharmaceuticals. Their work is published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society on July 14. “We set out to address the longstanding challenge of achieving single-carbon insertion into aromatic rings with precise positional control,” said Mahito Atobe, Professor, Faculty of Engineering, YOKOHAMA National University. Transformations that modify ...

What cats may teach us about Long COVID

2025-07-15

Feline infectious peritonitis, or FIP, is a serious and historically fatal disease in cats caused by a coronavirus. It behaves in many ways like severe coronavirus infections in humans, causing widespread inflammation, T cell exhaustion, and chronic immune dysfunction. Scientists at the University of California, Davis, have found that mesenchymal stromal cells, or MSC therapy, in combination with antiviral drugs, helped cats’ immune systems recover and reduced systemic inflammation. The study was published in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine. “Our findings support the idea that FIP in cats is a useful model for studying long-term immune problems after a viral infection — ...

Millions denied life-saving surgery as global targets missed – study

2025-07-14

Progress towards universal access to safe, affordable surgical care is dangerously off track as at least 160 million patients each year are unable to receive surgery - with Low- and Middle-income Countries (LMICs) bearing the brunt of the crisis, a new study reveals. A global coalition of 60 health experts representing 20 countries is calling for urgent action to resolve the crisis – warning that only 26% of LMICs are on track to meet a target for everyone to be able to access essential surgery within 2 hours, and ...

Record-breaking human imaging project crosses the finish line: 100,000 volunteers provide science with most detailed look inside the body

2025-07-14

There is an accompanying press briefing being hosted by the Science Media Centre in the UK. Please contact UK Biobank for the details. In a remarkable achievement that is already impacting how we detect and diagnose disease, UK Biobank has completed the world’s largest whole body imaging project, scanning the brains, hearts, abdomens, blood vessels, bones and joints of 100,000 volunteers. These scans, on this scale, show us what is happening in people’s bodies as they age so we can understand how, why and when we get sick. Since 2015, UK Biobank’s imaging data have been released in batches1 ...

Bio detection dogs successfully detect Parkinson’s disease by odor, study finds

2025-07-14

People with Parkinson’s disease (PD) have an odour that can be reliably detected from skin swabs by trained dogs, a new study has shown. The research, in collaboration with Medical Detection Dogs and the Universities of Bristol and Manchester, is published in The Journal of Parkinson’s Disease today [15 July]. Two dogs were trained by the charity, Medical Detection Dogs, to distinguish between sebum swabs from people with and without Parkinson’s disease. In a double blind trial, they showed sensitivity of up to 80% and specificity of up to 98%. Not only that, ...

Insomnia could be key to lower life satisfaction in adults with ADHD traits, study finds

2025-07-14

UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL 00:01AM UK TIME ON TUESDAY 15 JULY 2025 Insomnia could be key to lower life satisfaction in adults with ADHD traits, study finds Insomnia could explain why adults with ADHD traits report having a lower quality of life, according to new research led by the University of Southampton and the Netherlands Institute of Neuroscience. A study published today [15 July] in BMJ Mental Health found that having higher ADHD traits was associated with a lower quality of life and that insomnia could be part of the reason why. At least ...

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

One drug offers hope for stroke patients

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: