Current schizophrenia medications treat symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions, but do little for cognitive symptoms like disorganized thinking or executive dysfunction. As a result, many patients are unable to work, rely on family for lifelong support, become homeless or, in some cases, experience suicidal thoughts and actions.

A new Northwestern University study in humans and mice has discovered a novel biomarker of schizophrenia that could also serve as a new drug candidate to treat the cognitive symptoms of the disorder. Schizophrenia affects .5% of the world’s population, including about two million people in the U.S.

New treatments for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and motor neurone disease (MND) could be unlocked thanks to microscopic medicines developed by researchers at the University of Essex. Using artificial intelligence, an international team of scientists has created tiny antibody fragments that can be made directly inside human cells, where they bind to proteins linked to disease. These redesigned molecules will be made freely available to other scientists now the research has been published in Nature Communications.