Hopes For Disease Modification In Huntington’s Disease

A synthetic antioxidant previously shown to reduce apoptosis and enhance cell survival in vitro may ameliorate the symptoms of Huntington’s Disease. Researchers at the US Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBL) say that beyond its neuroprotective effects, the compound may even have disease-modifying properties. They’ve published the first proof of concept in animals, aiming to bring the molecule into human studies.

Huntington’s Disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by a genetic mutation in which an extra nucleotide sequence repeats over and over within the huntingtin gene. Companies are pursuing gene...