News

The Genetic Modifiers of Huntington’s Disease (GeM-HD) Consortium, an international team of scientists formed to find treatments for this disorder, identified specific genetic sites on two chromosomes that determine the beginning of neurological symptoms in Huntington’s patients. The study entitled “Identification of Genetic Factors that Modify Clinical Onset…

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. has recently announced that its New Drug Application (NDA) for SD-809 (deutetrabenazine) was accepted by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat chorea linked with Huntington’s disease (HD). HD is a fatal and very rare neurodegenerative disorder that results in the progressive damage of brain’s nerve cells; in western countries, it…

A study recently published in the journal Molecular Cell revealed a new role played by polyglutamine repeats in addition to their link to neurodegenerative disorders. The study is entitled “Variable Glutamine-Rich Repeats Modulate Transcription Factor Activity” and was led by researchers at the Katholieke Universiteit (KU)…

A groundbreaking research initiative on cell reprogramming for drug development against Huntington’s disease recently received $1.19 million worth of funding for the next 3 years, thanks to the Health Research Council to University of Auckland. Lead investigator and neuroscientist, Associate Professor Bronwen Connor, will attempt to better understand the disease, particularly…

In a new study entitled “Allosteric interactions between agonists and antagonists within the adenosine A2A receptor-dopamine D2 receptor heterotetramer” researchers determined the structure of a key receptor underlying neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s disease, and showed how current drugs targeting these receptors and used to treat Parkinson’s can…