Huntington’s Disease News and Research

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Johns Hopkins neuroscientists identify cause of brain degeneration in Huntington's disease

Working with genetically engineered mice, Johns Hopkins neuroscientists report they have identified what they believe is the cause of the vast disintegration of a part of the brain called the corpus striatum in rodents and people with Huntington's disease: loss of the ability to make the amino acid cysteine.

29 Mar 2014

PDF funds $20,000 grant to support patient-centered research to speed treatments for Parkinson's

The Parkinson's Disease Foundation® (PDF®) is pleased to announce $20,000 in grant funding to support patient-centered research at four leading Parkinson's disease research institutions.

29 Mar 2014

Provo-Orem, Utah ranked first in Gallup-Healthways Community Well-Being Index

For the sixth consecutive year, global well-being improvement leader Healthways (NASDAQ: HWAY) and world-leading management consulting firm Gallup have released their analysis of the state of well-being for communities, states and congressional districts in the United States.

25 Mar 2014

Teen researcher wins top award from Intel Foundation for research on potential drugs to treat influenza

From new cancer treatments to an exploration of how technology affects the adolescent brain, the innovative research of America's future scientists, engineers and inventors took center stage in the nation's capital today.

12 Mar 2014

Scientists reveal how a genetic code variation results in devastating brain diseases

New findings reveal how a mutation, a change in the genetic code that causes neurodegeneration, alters the shape of DNA, making cells more vulnerable to stress and more likely to die.

6 Mar 2014

Protein interaction network provides invaluable resource to identify targets for Huntington's disease

Researchers at the Buck Institute have identified and categorized thousands of protein interactions involving huntingtin, the protein responsible for Huntington's disease (HD). To use an analogy of a human social network, the identified proteins are like "friends" and "friends of friends" of the HD protein.

28 Feb 2014

Study provides novel insight into the impact of genes on Huntington's disease

A study led by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine provides novel insight into the impact that genes may have on Huntington's disease (HD). The study, published online in PLOS Genetics, identified specific small segments of RNA (called micro RNA or miRNA) encoded in DNA in the human genome that are highly expressed in HD.

27 Feb 2014

Researchers develop new compound that slows down progression of Huntington's Disease

Juliet Ross is suffering from Huntington's Disease, a rare neurological disorder that affects one in 10.000 people. Due to a genetic defect, her body produces a toxic protein that damages neurons in her brain.

26 Feb 2014

Cystinosis Research Foundation granted $2.15M in 2013 to researchers investigating cure for cystinosis

The Cystinosis Research Foundation awarded $2,153,048 in 2013 to researchers investigating better treatments and a cure for cystinosis, a rare metabolic and genetic disease that afflicts about 500 children and young adults in the United States and 2,000 worldwide.

19 Feb 2014

Omeros doses first patient in second Phase 2 clinical trial of OMS824

Omeros Corporation today announced dosing of the first patient in a second Phase 2 clinical trial of OMS824, the company's phosphodiesterase 10 (PDE10) inhibitor being developed for the treatment of schizophrenia, Huntington's disease (HD) and other cognitive disorders. The Phase 2 trial will evaluate the tolerability, safety, pharmacokinetics and performance on a battery of tests in patients with symptomatic HD.

19 Feb 2014

RNA interference approach holds great promise for treating cancer and other diseases

Inspired by tiny particles that carry cholesterol through the body, MIT chemical engineers have designed nanoparticles that can deliver snippets of genetic material that turn off disease-causing genes.

12 Feb 2014

New approach for reducing levels of toxic protein fragments associated with Huntington's disease

An innovative therapeutic strategy for reducing the levels of toxic protein fragments associated with Huntington's disease uses a new approach called exon skipping to remove the disease-causing component of the essential protein, huntingtin.

11 Feb 2014

Omeros announces additional positive data from OMS824 Phase 1 program

Omeros Corporation today announced additional positive data from its Phase 1 program for OMS824, the lead compound in Omeros' phosphodiesterase 10 (PDE10) program. This clinical trial evaluated the extent to which OMS824 binds to PDE10, an enzyme expressed in the region of the brain that has been linked to a wide range of diseases that affect cognition. In the latest cohort enrolled in this trial, OMS824 achieved a high of approximately 70‑percent engagement at PDE10 without evidence of extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS).

11 Feb 2014

Researchers find link between mutations in gene called RAB 24 and inherited neurodegenerative disease

Researchers from North Carolina State University have found a link between a mutation in a gene called RAB 24 and an inherited neurodegenerative disease in Old English sheepdogs and Gordon setters. The findings may help further understanding of neurodegenerative diseases and identify new treatments for both canine and human sufferers.

7 Feb 2014

Omeros announces positive results from Phase 2a trial of OMS824 in patients with schizophrenia

Omeros Corporation today announced positive results from a Phase 2a clinical trial of OMS824, the company's phosphodiesterase 10 (PDE10) inhibitor, in which the drug was well tolerated and demonstrated comparable systemic pharmacokinetics when administered alone and concomitantly with approved antipsychotic agents in patients with schizophrenia. OMS824 selectively inhibits PDE10, an enzyme expressed in areas of the brain linked to a wide range of diseases that affect cognition, including schizophrenia and Huntington's disease.

29 Jan 2014

Study reveals neurons in brain can combine signals of individual elements into behavioural sequence

When you learn how to play the piano, first you have to learn notes, scales and chords and only then will you be able to play a piece of music. The same principle applies to speech and to reading, where instead of scales you have to learn the alphabet and the rules of grammar.

26 Jan 2014

Research: New target for treating Huntington's and Parkinson's disease

Research from Western University (London, Canada) has revealed a possible new target for treating movement disorders such as Huntington's disease (HD) and Parkinson's disease. Stephen Ferguson, PhD, a scientist at Western's Robarts Research Institute, and Fabiola Ribeiro, PhD, of the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais in Brazil found a definite improvement in motor behaviors in a HD mouse model when one of the major neurotransmitters in the brain, called Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor 5 (mGluR5) was deleted.

9 Jan 2014

Study raises hopes for new drugs to treat brain disorders associated with neurotransmitter imbalance

Although drugs have been developed that inhibit the imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain - a condition which causes many brain disorders and nervous system diseases - the exact understanding of the mechanism by which these drugs work has not yet been fully understood.

8 Jan 2014

Researcher reveals how temperature impacts development of embryos

In nature, animals face a broad range of temperatures, and at times the heat can become taxing. When it becomes too hot to survive, some animals can simply migrate to more favorable climates, but what if you are a mere embryo confined within an egg and cannot escape the heat?

6 Jan 2014

City of Hope to offer radiation oncology services to patients in the Arcadia area

City of Hope and Methodist Hospital of Southern California have reached an agreement in which City of Hope will acquire the hospital's radiation oncology service in Arcadia. The acquisition will expand access to City of Hope's renowned expertise in radiation therapy and will provide additional convenience for patients seeking specialized cancer services.

2 Jan 2014