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News Releases
In a stunning scientific advancement, researchers at the University of Helsinki and Johnnie B. Byrd Sr. Alzheimer’s Center and Research Institute have identified a tri-peptide that stymies.. SCIENTISTS REGENERATE RAT SPINAL CORDS TAMPA, Fla.- (October 1, 2004) – In a stunning scientific advancement, researchers at the University of Helsinki and Johnnie B. Byrd Sr. Alzheimer’s Center and Research Institute have identified a tri-peptide that stymies the inevitable destruction of tissue within the brain’s memory center – the hippocampus – by providing protective properties to neurons. In addition, this same process has been shown to regenerate nerve impulses in rat spinal cords, allowing limited bodily movement after the cords were severed. “This breakthrough research paves the way for human application. The findings of this research has significant value and great promise for patients and caregivers too,” said Dr. Huntington Potter of the Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute. “This therapy utilizes a synthetic tri-peptide Lysine-Aspartic acid-Isoleucine (KDI) with both neurite outgrowth-promoting and neuroprotective properties. This peptide was identified through our systematic research to identify molecules involved in neuronal survival and neurite outgrowth. The wider significance of our research is that the KDI-therapy may become the first targeted medication for humans with central nervous system injuries such as, spinal cord injury, and disease such as, Alzheimer’s and ALS that currently have no or little cure,” explains Dr. Paivi Liesi, leader of the Finnish research team. Statistics indicate there are more than 4.5 million Alzheimer patients in the United States at a cost of $100 billion per year. By 2020, 30 million people worldwide will be affected by Alzheimer’s. This devastating disorder of the central nervous system follows life expectancy increases throughout the world. Wherever people are living longer, the rate of Alzheimer’s is increasing. In the U.S. alone, 14 million Americans will have contracted Alzheimer’s by 2050. “As most central nervous system lesions and diseases, including spinal cord injury and Alzheimer’s disease, involve neuronal death caused by the neurotransmitter glutamate, the KDI-therapy provides the central nervous system with a protective micro environment with both neuronal survival-promoting and neurite outgrowth-supporting properties,” Dr. Liesi said. For more information regarding the Byrd Alzheimer's Institute, visit www.byrdinstitute.org. Established on July 1, 2002 by the State of Florida, the Johnnie B. Byrd, Sr. Alzheimer’s Center & Research Institute will be located on the grounds of the University of South Florida and is dedicated to the cure and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. The Institute is governed and operated by a Florida not-for-profit corporation that is organized solely for the purposes of the Institute.
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