News

The activity of focal adhesion kinase (FAK), an enzyme known to play an essential role in nerve cell function, is low in the brains of people with Huntington’s disease, researchers discovered. Cell and mouse models revealed that the presence of abnormal huntingtin protein, the underlying cause of Huntington’s, blocked…

A single injection of Wave Life Science‘s experimental therapy WVE-003 was found, at either of the two lowest tested doses, to lead to reductions in the mutant huntingtin (mHTT) protein in people with Huntington’s disease — while leaving the healthy version of the protein unaffected. That’s according to…

The pharmaceutical company Teva is turning to social media to help people with Huntington’s disease (HD) to improve the management of chorea — a hallmark motor symptom that an estimated 90% of patients with the neurodegenerative disorder will develop. The company, fully Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, has established…

Many U.S. clinics treating people with Huntington’s disease reported difficulties in accessing needed professionals — such as genetic counselors, social workers, and dietitians — to help provide multidisciplinary care to patients with the progressive disorder, according to a survey-based study. Researchers billed the study, which involved more than 150…

ProQR Therapeutics’ experimental therapy QRX-704 significantly reduced levels of the toxic huntingtin (HTT) protein clumps that fuel Huntington’s disease in a mouse model of the disease, a study showed. The therapy, an antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) designed to promote the generation of a shorter, but working version of…

Reduced volumes of gray matter in certain regions of the brain are tied to poorer quality of life in people with Huntington’s disease, a new study reports. The study, “Brain, cognitive, and physical disability correlates of decreased quality of life in patients with Huntington’s disease,” was…

Social support for children of a parent with Huntington’s disease from someone other than a caregiver is important in helping them manage stress and adversity, but there are obstacles to obtaining that support, a study has found. People who’ve lived with a parent with Huntington’s reported that, while social…

Due to possible side effects, dosing is being paused in the Phase 2 VIBRANT-HD clinical trial of oral branaplam (LMI070) in adults with Huntington’s disease. A scheduled assessment found “early signs” that “branaplam might be causing peripheral neuropathy,” a condition marked by pain or numbness in the extremities caused by damage…

A Phase 2 trial of pepinemab failed to significantly improve certain cognitive abilities in people with prodromal to early Huntington’s disease, not meeting a primary study goal. But data indicated that diagnosed patients in early disease stages, those with existing cognitive and functional impairments at the study’s start, did…

Beyond genetic factors, the onset of Huntington’s disease later in life was related to being in a stable partnership, living in large cities, and having lower education levels, a large-scale analysis suggests. In comparison, a younger age at disease onset was associated with suicidal behavior and the use of…