News

Organization changes name to Huntington’s Disease Foundation

The Hereditary Disease Foundation (HDF), committed to advancing research on Huntington’s disease (HD) and potential treatments, has changed its name to Huntington’s Disease Foundation. “This name change is more than symbolic — it is a powerful reaffirmation of our purpose,” Meghan Donaldson, Huntington’s Disease Foundation CEO, said in…

Gene therapy AMT-130 slows Huntington’s progression by 75%

uniQure’s experimental gene therapy AMT-130 safely and effectively slows the progression of Huntington’s disease, according to top-line, three-year data from two Phase 1/2 clinical trials. At 36 months, the use of high-dose AMT-130 was shown to slow Huntington’s progression by 75% — results the developer called “statistically significant”…

SKY-0515 reduces disease-related proteins in early Huntington’s trial

Three months of daily treatment with Skyhawk Therapeutics’ oral candidate SKY-0515 safely and effectively reduced blood levels of Huntington’s disease-associated proteins in people with the neurodegenerative condition. That’s according to interim results from a substudy of a Phase 1 clinical trial that specifically showed a greater reduction with…

Eye movement could help track Huntington’s disease activity

Healthtech company Neuralight is teaming up with the CHDI Foundation to explore the possibility of monitoring eye movements as a method to track Huntington’s disease activity in clinical trials. The CHDI Foundation is a nonprofit biomedical research organization dedicated to advancing new therapies that can slow the…

Pridopidine may slow Huntington’s progression for some patients

Pridopidine may safely and effectively slow Huntington’s disease progression in patients who aren’t taking antidopaminergic medications, which are commonly used for psychiatric symptoms and chorea, or involuntary movements. That’s according to full results from the Phase 3 PROOF-HD clinical trial  (NCT04556656), which tested pridopidine against a…

Swallowing problems should be monitored early in Huntington’s

Swallowing difficulties start in the early stages of Huntington’s disease (HD) and progress over time, affecting both voluntary movements in the mouth and involuntary movements that transport food to the stomach while protecting the airway, a study showed. Researchers used the Swallowing Disturbance Questionnaire (SDQ) to assess swallowing problems,…

Michigan scientist gets HDSA grant to study how Huntington’s acts

A postdoctoral researcher at the University of Michigan won a three-year grant to support her work investigating the cellular mechanisms underlying Huntington’s disease. The Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA) awarded its Berman-Topper Family HD Career Development Fellowship to Elizabeth Tidwell, PhD, whose project, “Determining the structure…

Brain pathway may track Huntington’s disease progression

Neurodegeneration of the pathways that help relay information from the cerebellum — a brain area involved in motor and cognitive functions — is associated with worsening motor and cognitive symptoms in people with Huntington’s disease, a study reported. Tracking changes in these pathways, or tracts, may help researchers follow…