The Latest Biology News And Medical NewsBiology News 2Health News 2Biology News 3Health News 3
HOME >> BIOLOGY >> NEWS
Huntington's Disease Findings Pave Way For Potential Cure

New York, N.Y., August 8, 1997- Nearly 20 years ago, Columbia University researchers observed brain cell changes in Huntington's disease patients. Today, the significance of those changes has finally been explained--and the new findings may lead to a treatment or cure for the progressive, degenerative brain disease.

In the August 7 issue of Cell, Dr. Gillian Bates of the Division of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Guy's Hospital, London; Dr. Stephen W. Davies of the Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, University College London; Dr. Hans Lehrach and Dr. Erich Wanker of the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin, and colleagues have described the changes with unprecedented clarity. The cellular and biochemical mechanisms they have discovered could be a starting point for the development of new drugs that could interrupt the progress of Huntington's disease or prevent it in people at risk.

The gene for Huntington's disease (HD) was discovered in 1993 through the collaborative efforts of six research teams led by Nancy S. Wexler, PhD, Higgins Professor of Clinical Neuropsychology at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University in New York and President of the Hereditary Disease Foundation in Santa Monica. Under the direction of Wexler, the Foundation has formed the Cure Huntington's Disease Initiative to accelerate progress from research to therapy.

Symptoms of Huntington's disease include abnormal movements, moodiness, depression, slurring and loss of speech, and, finally, mental incompetence, incontinence, confinement, and unremitting decline over 10 to 20 years. This progressive degenerative brain disease affects about 30,000 Americans; 150,000 more have a genetic risk for developing the illness. The cause is a mutation in a gene located on chromosome 4: Instead of having molecule groups that repeat a small number of times, they repeat 40 or more times and produce a defective form of th
'"/>

Contact: Carolyn Conway
cc328@columbia.edu
212-305-4243
Columbia University Medical Center
8-Aug-1997


Page: 1 2 3

Related biology news :

1. World Congress on Huntingtons Disease to meet in Toronto, August 16-19, 2003
2. Link between neuronal calcium channel, mutated gene that causes Huntingtons disease identified
3. Switching off Huntingtons
4. Fasting forestalls Huntingtons disease in mice
5. Novel gene mutation causes Huntingtons-like symptoms, providing window into how brain cells die
6. Bile acid inhibits cell death in Huntingtons disease
7. Stanford researchers home in on Huntingtons disease treatment
8. Scientists find solution to a mystery surrounding Alzheimers, Huntingtons and other neurological diseases
9. Using a mouse model, reserchers now understand changes occurring in the brain before the onset of Huntingtons disease
10. Hopkins researchers identify neurologic problem associated with motor disorders in Huntingtons disease
11. Weizmann researchers find evidence that links molecular mechanism to Huntingtons Disease

Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
TAG: Huntington Disease Findings Pave Way For Potential Cure

(Date:11/23/2009)...uggests that a common oral bacterium may exacerbat...ls et al, "Unique Lipids from a Common Human Bacte... of Enhancing Autoimmunity," appears in the Decemb...y . , Multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease where t..., affects nearly 1 in 700 people in the United Sta...
(Date:11/23/2009)...A USDOE and USDA study concluded that 50 million U... pasture could be converted from current uses to t...grass, from which biomass could be harvested for u...duction of a perennial grass monoculture from whic...nually is expected to require nitrogen fertilizer....
(Date:11/23/2009)...a biomedical engineer and cardiologist Tzung "John...ians distinguish cardiac emergencies requiring imm...th drugs and lifestyle change. , Angiograms, ima...eeding the heart, offer an inside view of the inte...en revealing deposits of a dangerous fatty substan...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):Factors from common human bacteria may trigger multiple sclerosis 2Switchgrass produces biomass efficiently 2Stable plaque or heart attack plaque? USC researcher builds new sensor to tell which is which 2Is somatic hypersensitivity a predictor of irritable bowel syndrome 3F 52394 1Is somatic hypersensitivity a predictor of irritable bowel syndrome 3F 52394 2New discovery suggests trees evolved camouflage defense against long extinct predator 9314 1New discovery suggests trees evolved camouflage defense against long extinct predator 9314 2Vaxine Wins Line Honours With Worlds First Human Swine Flu Vaccine 52390 1Vaxine Wins Line Honours With Worlds First Human Swine Flu Vaccine 52390 2
(Date:11/24/2009)...ZEN,Italy,November24/PRNewswire/--HealthRoboticsto...rewithagroupofselected,investors.Thisrecentlyforme...hRoboticsCanada,Inc.andwillmarket,install,andsuppo...includesthe,revolutionaryproductofferingsi.v.STATI...daInc.willalsoprovideassistanceonan"asneeded,basis...
(Date:11/24/2009)...ATTLE,Nov.24/PRNewswire-FirstCall/--CellTherapeuti...ntatthe21stAnnualPiperJaffrayHealthCareConference....rkPalaceHotel. ,, CTIwillpresentonTuesday,Decem...eaudiowebcastofCTI,spresentationwillbeavailableat ...forreplayafterwards. , ,PiperJaffrayHealthCareCon...
(Date:11/23/2009)...computing promises ultra-fast communication, compu... information. But trying to use quantum states as ...usiness. Now two physicists have shown, mathematic...antum communication, while keeping the information...ue of Physical Review Letters and highlighted wi...
(Date:11/23/2009)...SSISSAUGA,ON,Nov.23/PRNewswire-FirstCall/-YMBioSci...uctdevelopmentcompanythatidentifiesandadvancesadiv...riousstagesofdevelopment,todayreportedthatCytopia(...luatingCYT387,apotent,orally-administeredJAK1/JAK2...chester,Minnesota.AproposaltomergeCytopiaintoYMhas...
Breaking Biology Technology:Health Robotics Continues its Global Expansion With December 09 ASHP's Launch of Joint Venture in Canada 2YM BIOSCIENCES REPORTS FIRST PATIENT IN PHASE I/II TRIAL OF JAK1/JAK2 INHIBITOR, CYT387 ENROLLED BY CYTOPIA 2YM BIOSCIENCES REPORTS FIRST PATIENT IN PHASE I/II TRIAL OF JAK1/JAK2 INHIBITOR, CYT387 ENROLLED BY CYTOPIA 3YM BIOSCIENCES REPORTS FIRST PATIENT IN PHASE I/II TRIAL OF JAK1/JAK2 INHIBITOR, CYT387 ENROLLED BY CYTOPIA 4
Other News:
Baseball fans might want to add a little more sauerkraut to their hot dogs: Researchers have identified compounds in the tangy topping, made from fermented cabbage, that may fight cancer. Their study
...The schedule of over 300 scientific sessions, 97 s...tings of the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Sc...ety of America has been posted on the ASA-CSSA-SSS...2002 at the Indiana Convention Center, Indianapoli...
...The genetically inherited disease cystic fibrosis...en and adults worldwide. Approximately 1 in 2,500 ...urvive past 30 years of age.......Now, researchers...e have developed a novel system of gene therapy fo...
...COLUMBUS, Ohio Researchers have developed a new w...ging method to directly compare the brains of... ...Their report appeared in the... ... method uses functional... Ma...
Sauerkraut contains anticancer compound 2Agronomy, Crops and Soils Annual Meetings' papers, symposia searchable online 2World-first gene therapy for cystic fibrosis targets lung stem cells? 2MRI technique lets researchers directly compare monkey and human brains 2MRI technique lets researchers directly compare monkey and human brains 3MRI technique lets researchers directly compare monkey and human brains 4MRI technique lets researchers directly compare monkey and human brains 5
...s, rigidity and slowed movements in a million Amer...lates cognitive thought and the ability to carry o...e Center for Neurosciences at The Feinstein Instit...red and quantified this network of brain regions d...
...ium including Duke University has created startlin...ns -- unveiled layer by layer -- by extending the ...aging.... "These images can be more than 100,000 t...said G. Allan Johnson, Duke's Charles E. Putman Di...
...al applications of synthetic biology, an emerging ...cular systems, researchers from MIT and Boston Uni...roy the surface biofilms that harbor harmful bacte...ces. ... They have already successfully demonstrat...
...andenDriessche, a researcher at VIB and the Kathol...ilia Research Award for his research on hemophilia...on of the blood. The research grant, for the amoun... meeting of the International Society of Thrombosi...
Scientists identify 2 distinct Parkinson's networks 2'Virtual' mouse brains now available online 2'Virtual' mouse brains now available online 3MIT, BU team builds viruses to combat harmful 'biofilms' 2MIT, BU team builds viruses to combat harmful 'biofilms' 3VIB scientist receives major research grant 2