Aberrant metabolism of urea is a potential first event promoting Huntington’s disease (HD), a study with a sheep model and human brain samples showed. The findings suggest that lowering brain levels of urea is a potential therapeutic avenue for HD. The report “Brain urea increase is an early Huntington’s…
News
The chemical compound manganese (Mn) has been reported to take part in the underlying mechanism of Alzheimer’s disease. However, little is known about its involvement in the development of other neurodegenerative diseases. In the study titled “Manganese in manganism, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and…
Roche will now be responsible for the development and marketing of Ionis Pharmaceuticals’ IONIS-HTTRx after exercising its option to license the investigational drug, designed to treat Huntington’s disease (HD). This move follows highly promising results from a Phase 1/2a clinical trial. The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (NCT02519036) tested…
Embryonic stem cells have been seen as a potential therapeutic strategy for several diseases. However, the manipulation of these cells has been a challenge for scientists due to their complex regulatory systems. In a study published in Nature Communications a team led by researchers at the Cologne Cluster…
News
Activity and Levels of Enzyme Aco2 May Be Biomarker of Huntington’s Progression, Early Study Reports
A poorly active enzyme called aconitase 2 (Aco2), found at low levels in cells, can be a marker of the mitochondrial dysfunction linked to Huntington’s disease and its progression, an early study reports. The study, “Altered Aconitase 2 Activity in Huntington’s Disease Peripheral Blood Cells and Mouse…
Taube Philanthropies, a charitable organization from the San Francisco Bay Area, in California, recently donated $750,000 to the Buck Institute for Research on Aging to support a research consortium working on Huntington’s disease. Lisa Ellerby, PhD, is leading the consortium in collaboration with the Taube Neurodegenerative Disease Stem…
Researchers have found that rilmenidine, a blood pressure medicine, was relatively safe and well-tolerated by Huntington’s disease (HD) patients in a small study. However, its effectiveness in treating the disease remains unknown and warrants further investigation. The study, “An open-label study to assess the feasibility and tolerability of rilmenidine for…
The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) says it’s “disappointed and dismayed” after the House of Representatives voted 227-205 last week to repeal the Orphan Drug Tax Credit as part of a U.S. tax reform package. A similar package before the Senate Finance Committee does not repeal the credit…
The Hereditary Disease Foundation (HDF) raised $900,000 to fund research into Huntington’s disease and other brain disorders during its Nov. 6 “Celebration of 50 Years of Discovery” symposium and gala at New York’s Metropolitan Club. The event included a scientific symposium and a dinner and award ceremony, where winners…
A protein responsible for protecting nerve cells can become embedded in other substances in the brains of Huntington’s patients, preventing it from performing its neuroprotective work, Spanish researchers report. Another important finding was that the areas where the ATF5 protein are embedded also contain clusters of the faulty huntingtin protein…
Recent Posts
- It’s OK to reach out for help during the February slump
- Huntington’s treatment safely slows disease over 9 months in early trial
- A new puppy gives my gene-positive wife a sense of purpose
- Toward a better understanding of anger as a symptom of Huntington’s disease
- Actor Will Forte shares family story in Teva awareness campaign
- Finding ‘space in the middle’ to deal with life’s challenges
- What a compassionate reset looks like in life with Huntington’s
- Ingrezza engages with therapeutic target more strongly than Austedo
- Anticipation of a possible new clinical trial has us holding on to hope
- What caregiver burnout is really about — and what you can do about it