Huntington's Disease News and Research

Latest Huntington's Disease News and Research

Subtle signs can help doctors predict that a person will develop Huntington's disease

Huntington's disease is a genetic disorder that affects movement, thinking, and some aspects of personality. There is no treatment or cure for the disease.

17 May 2007

Radically different approach to nuclear magnetic resonance

Detecting the molecular structure of a tiny protein using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) currently requires two things: a million-dollar machine the size of a massive SUV, and a large sample of the protein under study.

16 May 2007

Coenzyme Q10 does not improve Parkinson's disease symptoms

Small doses of the antioxidant coenzyme Q10 appear to increase blood levels of this naturally occurring compound in patients with Parkinson's disease, but does not improve Parkinson's disease symptoms, according to an article posted online today that will appear in the July 2007 print issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

15 May 2007

Scientists find new proteins involved in Huntington's disease

Researchers in the United States have identified more than 200 new proteins that are involved in Huntington's disease.

14 May 2007

Identification of 200 new proteins that interact with the mutated protein that causes Huntington's disease

The identification of more than 200 new proteins that interact with the mutated protein that causes Huntington's disease opens the door to developing treatments for the fatal neurodegenerative disorder, said a Baylor College of Medicine researcher who took part in the work that appears online today in the journal Public Library of Science Genetics.

11 May 2007

Study finds large number of new proteins implicated in Huntington's disease

Researchers from four organizations have identified more than 200 new proteins that bind to normal and mutant forms of the protein that causes Huntington's disease (HD).

11 May 2007

New compounds promising candidates for neurodegenerative disease drug development

Scientists have developed a novel strategy for tackling neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington's disease: encouraging an individual's own cells to "eat" the malformed proteins that lead to the disease.

8 May 2007

Zorro-LNA stops genetic disorders in their tracks

A study to appear in the June 2007 issue of The FASEB Journal describes a new agent, called "Zorro-LNA," which has the potential to stop genetic disorders in their tracks.

1 May 2007

Avicena files composition of matter patent application for treatment of Huntington's disease

Avicena Group has announced day that it has filed a composition of matter patent application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to cover potential treatments for Huntington's disease, a fatal neurodegenerative disease.

1 May 2007

Miscue of body's genetic repair system may cause Huntington's disease

Mayo Clinic researchers, along with collaborators from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and University of Oslo, Norway, have discovered that a miscue of the body's genetic repair system may cause Huntington's disease, a fatal condition that affects 30,000 Americans annually by destroying their nervous system.

24 Apr 2007

New treatment possibilities for Huntington's disease

Howard Florey Institute have opened up new treatment possibilities for Huntington's disease by proving a scientific theory incorrect.

3 Apr 2007

Molecular mechanism involved in development of schizophrenia

In studying the postmortem brain tissue of adults who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, the researchers found that levels of certain gene-regulating molecules called microRNAs were lower among schizophrenia patients than in persons who were free of psychiatric illness.

30 Mar 2007

Researchers look at whether creatine slows progression of Parkinson's disease

Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center are leading one of the largest clinical trials ever for Parkinson's disease.

25 Mar 2007

Curry related compound shows promise against Kennedy's disease

Scientists who focus on the molecular signaling that underlies prostate cancer have discovered a compound that shows promise against a debilitating neurodegenerative condition known as Kennedy's disease, which is caused by a mutant gene.

21 Mar 2007

Scientists tackle huntingtin protein

McMaster scientists are very close to defining small molecule drugs that should be able to redirect the huntingtin protein from accumulating in the wrong place within brain cells, which could potentially translate to a therapy for Huntington's Disease (HD).

29 Jan 2007

Human embryonic stem cells show potential in treating rats with Parkinson's symptoms

Brain cells derived from human embryonic stem cells improved the condition of rats with Parkinson's-like symptoms dramatically, but the treatment caused a significant problem - the appearance of brain tumors - that scientists are now working to solve.

2 Dec 2006

Researchers discover protein interaction that may explain how Huntington's disease affects the brain

The findings, published in and featured on the cover of the current issue of Human Molecular Genetics, show how the mutated Huntington's protein interacts with another protein to cause dramatic accumulation of cholesterol in the brain.

2 Dec 2006

Effective test for screening Huntington's disease drugs

A test using cultured cells provides an effective way to screen drugs against Huntington's disease and shows that two compounds - memantine and riluzole - are most effective at keeping cells alive under conditions that mimic the disorder, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers report.

30 Oct 2006

Researchers identify peptide that spurs cargo transport in nerve cells

For the first time, researchers have identified a peptide that can spur cargo transport in nerve cells, a discovery that could help scientists better understand nerve cell function and test possible therapies for neurodegenerative diseases.

24 Oct 2006

Scientists discover how brain turns on system designed to protect nerve cells from toxic "free radicals"

Scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute report they have found how the brain turns on a system designed to protect its nerve cells from toxic "free radicals," a waste product of cell metabolism that has been implicated in some degenerative brain diseases, heart attacks, strokes, cancer, and aging.

20 Oct 2006