RTP, N.C. (February 05, 2010)—Nu Tech 2010, a one-day conference focusing on investing in collaborative technologies ( www.nutechshowcase.org), will include medical research from Gifu University of Japan on a potential treatment for spongiform encephalitis, aka prion disease.
These progressive neurodegenerative disorders affect both humans and animals. Mad cow disease is one form of prion disease that can be transmitted between animal species. In all cases, healthy prion proteins in brain tissue, when exposed to malformed or scarpie versions, convert themselves to the scarpie form. Researchers at Gifu have been looking at ways to stop this transformation process.
Patenting a compound called GN8, studies indicate that this compound appears to stabilizing healthy prion proteins suppressing conversion. Referred to as a medicinal chaperone, the success of this strategy shows promise in treating other diseases related to malformed proteins including frontotemporal dementia, ALS and Huntington's disease.
NU Tech 2010 will feature more than 20 breakthrough technologies from the fields of life science, biotechnology and engineering on February 10. Starting at 7:30 a.m. at the Sheraton Imperial, RTP, NU Tech 2010 will feature technology developments from Nagoya University, home to four Nobel Prize-winning professors in physics and chemistry ( www.nagoya-u.ac.jp/en/), North Carolina State University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and East Carolina University. More than 30 representatives from Nagoya University and the Japan Science and Technology Agency will be present to network with area scientists and researchers.
Featured speakers include:
" North Carolina Secretary of Commerce, J. Keith Crisco
" Vice President of Eisai, Inc., Dr. Ray W. Wood
" Director of Aisin AW and President of EQUOS Research, Masao Ando
" President of Nagoya University Dr. Michinari Hamaguchi
" President and CEO of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, E. Norris Tolson.
Registration for the event is free of charge and includes continental breakfast, lunch and reception. To register for the event and learn more about Nu Tech 2010, visit www.nutechshowcase.org.
About Nagoya University:
Nagoya University (NU) was originally established as a temporary hospital and medical school in 1871 in Nagoya City, Japan. Since then it has been playing various key roles in the education and research scenes in Japan. Home to four Nobel Prize-winning professors in physics and chemistry, NU is on the forefront of Japan's technology transfer space. NU faculty invented the high performance blue light emitting device widely used in displays worldwide. NU currently has 16,000 full-time students that study and work with 2,000 full-time faculty and 2,000 staff members. The university includes 13 graduate schools, three research institutions and 18 research centers.
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