Steve Bryson, PhD,  science writer—

Steve holds a PhD in biochemistry from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto, Canada. As a medical scientist for 18 years, he worked in both academia and industry, where his research focused on the discovery of new vaccines and medicines to treat inflammatory disorders and infectious diseases. Steve is a published author in multiple peer-reviewed scientific journals and a patented inventor.

Articles by Steve Bryson

Revir wins $4.6M grant to advance oral Huntington’s treatment

Revir Therapeutics has been awarded a $4.6 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) to support the development of a potential disease-modifying oral treatment for Huntington’s disease. The company also said it “reached a key program milestone,” identifying “a lead compound that meets key development…

Enzymes play opposing roles in Huntington’s disease development

Two signaling enzymes, GSK3-beta and ERK1, play opposing roles in the development of Huntington’s disease and may represent new therapeutic targets, a study showed. “We propose that ERK1 may protect neurons in the face of Huntington’s disease, while [GSK3-beta] may exacerbate Huntington’s disease,” Shermali Gunawardena, PhD, the study’s senior…

Gut microbes, blood metabolites may be Huntington’s biomarkers

Examining the amounts of certain microbes in the gut and levels of specific metabolites in the blood may help distinguish people with and without Huntington’s disease with 100% accuracy, a study suggested. “This study determined crucial functional gut microbiota and potential biomarkers associated with [Huntington’s development], providing new insights…

Healthy habits before symptoms show may slow disease progression

A high level of education, low to moderate alcohol intake, not smoking, and controlling one’s weight may slow Huntington’s disease progression among those who’ve yet to have symptoms, a study shows. “Reducing modifiable risk factors for [Huntington’s] is one way to support the presymptomatic population,” which is made up…

PTC518 lowers mutant HTT, slows disease progression: Interim data

An investigational oral therapy from PTC Therapeutics called PTC518 safely and effectively reduces levels of the mutant huntingtin protein (mHTT) in Huntington’s disease patients, while being linked to trends of slower disease progression. That’s according to one-year interim data from the ongoing Phase 2a PIVOT-HD clinical trial…