News

The interaction between FAN1 and MLH1 — two DNA repair proteins known to be genetic modifiers of Huntington’s disease — protects against further expansion of disease-causing CAG repeats, according to a study using human and mouse models of the disease. Specifically, this interaction prevents MLH1’s recruitment to a DNA…

No significant safety concerns were identified in the first eight Huntington’s disease patients treated with uniQure’s potential gene therapy AMT-130 in a U.S. Phase 1/2 clinical trial. Six of these patients received the low dose of the therapy — which is delivered directly into the brain — and two…

Huntington’s disease patients who have not yet developed symptoms have a different relationship with time than otherwise-healthy individuals, according to a new study based on patient interviews. The findings highlight a need for long-term psychological support for people with presymptomatic Huntington’s to help them develop proactive coping strategies and…

Brain cells called glia work to protect the brain from damage in Huntington’s disease by reducing the expression of genes involved in maintaining connections between nerve cells, a new study indicates. The findings suggest that targeting glia could be a useful strategy for Huntington’s treatment, and also highlight that…

While the Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA) is pleased a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee recently held a key hearing that featured Huntington’s disease, it continues to call for passage of bipartisan parity legislation. The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health hearing was focused at better…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug designation to Vico Therapeutics’ VO659, an investigational antisense oligonucleotide gene-silencing therapy for Huntington’s disease. “We are delighted that FDA has granted this orphan-drug designation,” Rupert Sandbrink, MD, PhD, chief medical officer of VICO, said in a…

People with Huntington’s disease who have had more formal education tend to be diagnosed earlier and have milder symptoms than those with less formal education, a new study indicates. The study, “The effect of education on symptom onset and severity of Huntington’s disease,” was published in …

Progression in Huntington’s disease may be due more to a gradual loss of the system that maintains the health of brain cells than to accumulated damage caused by the disease itself, a computational analysis of large and complex datasets suggests. This analysis, called Geomic, showed that while brain cells most vulnerable…

The Cleveland Team Hope Walk & 5K Run is on tap for Aug. 15 to raise funds to help the Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA) Northeast Ohio Chapter to improve the lives of Huntington’s disease (HD) patients and their families. The event, which seeks to raise $36,000…

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) may not be the biomarker for Huntington’s disease that it was previously thought to be, a recent study reported. The progressive loss of BDNF, a factor that helps neurons grow and survive, associates with Huntington’s progression in mouse disease models, and past studies found it at reduced…