Huntington’s

For the first time in 35 years, the number of people in northern Scotland who have the Huntington's gene has been counted, revealing that the region has one of the highest rates of the disease in the world. The research, from the University of Aberdeen in partnership with NHS Grampian, found that confirmed that rates [...]

New research shows that the adult brain can generate new neurons that integrate into key motor circuits - demonstrating that stimulating natural brain processes may help repair damaged neural networks in Huntington’s and other diseases. It was long believed that the adult brain could not generate new neurons. However, it is now understood that niches [...]

The University of Leicester and Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust Huntington's Disease Network is celebrating its one-year anniversary this April. The Leicester Huntington’s Disease Network (LHDN) was established in April 2024 to help drive community support, interventions and engagement for those living with Huntington’s disease. The network is co-led by lecturer and practising clinical psychologist Dr [...]

Biotech company Skyhawk Therapeutics has developed a novel SKY-0515 small molecule RNA splicing modulator targeting Huntington's Disease. SKY-0515 is an investigational small molecule RNA splicing modifier developed through the Skyhawk's novel RNA-splicing platform. SKY-0515 is designed to reduce both HTT protein and PMS1 protein, an additional key driver of somatic CAG repeat expansion and HD [...]

A biotechnology firm working to correct an underlying cause of Huntington's disease will announce positive data this week on its ongoing gene therapy development. Latus Bio aims to address mutations in the HTT gene which lead to expansion of >39 CAG trinucleotide repeats which cause Huntington's. A CAG repeat is a sequence of DNA in [...]

A life sciences firm aiming to harness the RNA molecule that carries genetic instructions to treat Huntington’s has been boosted by a major fundraise. Atalanta Therapeutics, from Boston, US, has raised Us$75m from investors to help fund its groundbreaking search for genetics-based treatments for neurological diseases. RNA is a molecule that carries genetic instructions from [...]

APOBEC enzymes, which normally help fight viral infections by mutating viral DNA, are unusually active in the brains of Huntington’s patients, a new study has shown.   People genetically susceptible to Huntington’s disease often see their movement, mood, and cognition decline slowly over time. The cause is related to expansion of repeating DNA units, in [...]

Subtle changes in the brain, detectable through advanced imaging, blood and spinal fluid analysis, happen approximately twenty years before a clinical motor diagnosis in people with Huntington’s disease, new research has found. The researchers found that although functions such as movement, thinking or behaviour remained normal for a long time before the onset of symptoms [...]

The genetic mutation that causes Huntington’s disease (HD) – a devastating brain disease that disrupts mobility and diminishes cognitive ability – may also enhance early brain development and play a role in promoting human intelligence. This revelation comes from more than 10 years of brain imaging and brain function data, including motor, cognitive, and behavioural [...]

An efficient and robust system using the C. elegans nematode to screen for compounds that can stop the growth of amyloid proteins has been developed by a team of University of Toronto researchers. Through their own screen of over 2,500 compounds, the team found 40 that demonstrate the ability to inhibit amyloid formation. Amyloid proteins [...]