Forest Ray PhD,  —

Forest Ray received his PhD in systems biology from Columbia University, where he developed tools to match drug side effects to other diseases. He has since worked as a journalist and science writer, covering topics from rare diseases to the intersection between environmental science and social justice. He currently lives in Long Beach, California.

Articles by Forest Ray

Levels of KP Metabolites in Blood, CSF Unlikely as Disease Biomarkers

Metabolites seen as potential biomarkers of Huntington’s disease — called kynurenine pathway metabolites — showed little evidence of Huntington’s-specific activity in a recent study. While researchers could not entirely rule out kynurenine pathway metabolites as possible treatment targets, their results suggest that the disease is not well represented by the…

Mutant Huntingtin Slows Cells’ Protein-Building Machinery, Study Finds

Stalled protein-building may underlie Huntington’s disease, according to data from a recent study. The findings showed that the mutated huntingtin protein, which is at the heart of the disorder, slows down ribosomes, the small cell machinery structures responsible for building new proteins. According to investigators, knowing this and understanding…

Wearable Devices May Aid Diagnosis, But Need Improvement

Wearable devices show considerable promise in helping diagnose people with Huntington’s disease, but the studies evaluating them need to be standardized to maximize their potential benefit to patients, a review found. That review determined that these devices can distinguish people with and without Huntington’s, and between symptomatic and pre-symptomatic…