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RAMOT at Tel Aviv University Ltd. posted this:

Our team, including zoologists, statisticians, and computer scientists have developed a new hi-res bioassay for preclinical testing and characterization of CNS agents, extracting key animal-centered parameters of behavior via computerized tracking and measurement of free exploration. The features that distinguish our system and method from other existing systems and methods are: elaborate data preparation for analysis and a methodology that secures replicability of results across laboratories, and exposes active management of kinematic variables. Our measured parameters are carefully designed, animal-centered building blocks of behavior. They are selected on the basis of an in-depth understanding of the mouse’s functional world. These quite unexpected and unusual parameters reflect the animal’s cognitive and emotional state and its information processing capacity; therefore they are most prone to be affected by drugs that act on respective CNS structures that mediate these states. Unlike all other existing systems we expose and quantify the rich and highly organized developmental dynamics of self regulated behavioral growth. The dynamics of this process before and after genetic manipulation and/or pharmacological treatment can now be readily measured by our system, articulating the effects of potential CNS drugs on behavioral growth and decay processes. Project ID : 2-2009-11

RAMOT at Tel Aviv University Ltd. posted this:

Stem cells (SC) are considered crucial building blocks for any regenerative strategy. Adult oral mucosa (OM) is a unique source for generating adult pluripotent stem cell (OPSC) populations. This uniqueness consists in the fact that 95% of the OM whole populations in culture (1st – 8th passages) express markers of embryonic and mesenchymal SC. Thus, in contradistinction to known sources which comprise very low numbers of SC, OPSC generation for clinical use is simple and cost effective and does not require cumbersome cost-consuming purification steps. The general objective is to lay the foundation for the development of a variety of products based on the pluripotency and simple and cost effective generation of billions of OPSC. The major aim of the proposed project is to develop a product for the treatment of ischemic heart failure (IHF). This product which will serve as a proof of concept was selected based on medicals needs, market cap and time to market. The specific aims of the proposal are: 1. To develop a cardiac product aimed at treating ischemic heart failure (IHF). The aim is to test the safety and therapeutic effect of OPSC on experimental IHF in a minipig model. 2. To strengthen the intellectual property by fully characterizing the profile of OPSC. The prevalence of IHF continuously increases (1 million new cases every year in the western world) and currently the market cap is estimated in the range of billions. Project ID : 10-2011-260

RAMOT at Tel Aviv University Ltd. posted this:

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is due to amyloid accumulation in the vessel walls leading to hemorrhagic stroke, and cognitive impairment. There are no available treatments to specifically reduce the risk of CAA. In this research we aim to assess brain tissue damage and cognitive impairment resulting from CAA in animal model and to investigate a novel approach to immune therapy. Methods: We have shown that nasal vaccination with a proteosome adjuvant (Protollin) that is well tolerated in humans, decreases amyloid plaques in an Alzheimer’s disease mouse model. It was recently reported that an overexpression of TGF-?1 under the control of an astrocyte promoter GFAP in mice results in CAA. TGF-?1 mice were nasally treated with Protollin on a weekly basis starting at the age of 13 months for three months. Following treatment animals were subjected for MRI and cognition analysis. Results: Here we show that nasal Protollin activates perivascular macrophage and potently decreases vascular amyloid in TGF-?1 mice. Using MRI we found that while PBS treated animals showed a significant enlargement of the lateral ventricles area, Protollin prevents further brain damage and prevents pathological changes in the blood-brain barrier. Vascular risk factors have been found to be associated with vascular dementia. Using an object recognition test and Y-maze, we found significant improvement in cognition with the Protollin treated group. Interpretation :Our study demonstrates that activation of macrophages by Protollin is a novel approach to reduce microhemorrhage, prevent stroke and improve cognition in a model of cerebral amyloid angiopathy. Project ID : 10-2011-259