A Genetic Lottery
— Rebecca Field

The Hereditary Disease Foundation (HDF) recently hosted a celebratory night, gathering close to 200 recognized names and raising $1.2 million to support its efforts. The “Celebration of Discovery” Symposium and Dinner took place Monday, Nov. 9, at the Metropolitan Club in New York. The foundation, focused on finding cures to life-shattering…

A new study entitled “Mutant Huntingtin Does Not Affect the Intrinsic Phenotype of Human Huntington’s Disease T Lymphocytes,” published in PLOS ONE, has revealed important insights into future Huntington’s disease therapies aimed at modulating the peripheral immune system, mainly by targeting hyper-reactive monocytes and macrophages.

Recent research has shed light on how some proteins are converted into liquid droplets before becoming toxic fibrous solids that are involved in neurodegenerative diseases and other genetic disorders. The study entitled “RNA Controls PolyQ Protein Phase Transitions” was published in Molecular Cell by researchers from Dartmouth…

Psychiatric manifestations develop more often than previously thought in Huntington’s disease prodrome, according to findings of a recent study published in The American Journal of Psychiatry. Moreover, it appears that symptoms also increase with disease severity. Early features of Huntington’s disease can include personality changes, mood swings,…

University of Buffalo researchers have discovered that Huntingtin protein (Htt) is involved in the transport of Rab proteins, which are essential for normal cell function, a discovery that might lead to a greater understanding of the mechanisms behind Huntington’s disease. The research paper entitled “Huntingtin differentially regulates the axonal transport of a sub-set…

While moving is normal to healthy people, making even the smallest movements may seem a difficult task for those who suffer from movement disorders such as Huntington’s disease. The Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital is spreading awareness about these types of conditions and their proper treatment, the importance of seeking professional help…

The New York Blood Center (NYBC) and the Howard and Abby Milstein Foundation recently announced plans to expand their partnership and joint efforts to further stem cell line technology and application in regenerative medicine. This expansion will also welcome Drs. Peter…

Cloud-based drug design and development company, Cloud Pharmaceuticals, Inc., recently announced it has signed with THERAMetrics holding AG to collaborate on breakthrough treatments for orphan central nervous system (CNS) diseases and other indications. This strategic collaboration has as its primary points of interest Huntington’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), progressive supranuclear palsy…

A team of scientists at the University of Louisville are determined to find out if a promising treatment, VX15, an investigational monoclonal antibody, can delay the onset of or slow disease progression of Huntington’s Disease (HD). The study titled SIGNAL is a Phase II clinical trial that aims to determine the…

In a new study entitled “Spatial mapping of juxtacrine axo-glial interactions identifies novel molecules in peripheral myelination” a team of scientists reports a new method for capturing and understanding the molecular mechanisms behind brain cellular interactions, a key event for a healthy and fully functional brain which may…

In a new study entitled “Delayed identification and diagnosis of Huntington’s disease due to psychiatric symptoms” researchers present a case study of a female patient with 58 years old diagnosed with Huntington’s disease as a consequence of psychiatric symptoms prior to motor symptoms. The study was published in the International…

Tapping into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with Huntington’s disease may give insights on disease onset, diminished functional ability and potential therapeutic agents for treatment. A recent study investigated whether huntingtin (HTT) protein could be detected in CSF, and the research team behind the investigation created an assay with…