Category: Huntingtons Disease

A major breakthrough in the understanding and potential treatment of Huntington’s disease has been made by scientists at the University of Leeds.Researchers in the University’s Faculty of Biological Sciences have discovered that one of the body’s naturally occurring proteins is preventing 57 genes from operating normally in the brains of Huntington’s sufferers.

McMaster University researchers have first insight into how Huntington’s disease (HD) is triggered. The research is published online in the British Journal, Human Molecular Genetics.”These are exciting results by the McMaster team,” said Dr. Rémi Quirion, Scientific Director at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Institute of Neuroscience, Mental Health and Addiction.

Medtronic, Inc., (NYSE: MDT) and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALNY), a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced that the companies are advancing their collaboration initiated in February, 2005, following positive pre-clinical data generated under the initial joint technology development phase of the program. Under the terms of the agreement, Alnylam and Medtronic will focus on developing a drug-device combination for the treatment of Huntington’s disease.

An international team of researchers has published a benchmark study showing that gene expression in several animal models of Huntington’s Disease (HD) closely resembles that of human HD patients.The results, published August 1, 2007, in the journal Human Molecular Genetics, validate the applicability of using animal models to study human disease and will have important consequences for the pertinence of these models in preclinical drug testing.

Medivation, Inc. (Nasdaq: MDVN) today announced treatment of the first patient in its Phase 2 trial of Dimebon(TM) to treat Huntington’s disease. Medivation has expanded patient enrollment in the trial by 20 percent — to 90 patients — in order to enhance the ability to detect differences between Dimebon and placebo.

A drug used in some countries to treat the symptoms of Huntington’s disease prevents death of brain cells in mice genetically engineered to mimic the hereditary condition, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found. The research sheds light on the biochemical mechanisms involved in the disease and suggests new avenues of study for preventing brain-cell death in at-risk people before symptoms appear.

Mice carrying the genetic mutation that causes Huntington’s Disease (HD) showed marked improvements in alertness and their ability to learn after they were given drugs that put them to sleep.Researchers at the University of Cambridge found that daily treatments of Alprazolam or chloral hydrate, two different sedative drugs, enabled them to develop a regular sleep pattern and improved their cognitive function — their ability to understand and act on information.

Avicena Group, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: AVGO), a late stage biotechnology company that develops central nervous system therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases, announced today the selection of the optimal dose of HD-02, its novel drug candidate for the treatment of Huntington’s Disease. This dose was determined in an open-label dose escalation study, led by Dr. Steven Hersch and Dr.

Huntington’s disease is a hereditary disorder that primarily affects the brain, leading to death within just over a decade. There is no treatment for the disease at present, but researchers at Lund University in Sweden believe that a medicine used for Alzheimer’s disease could alleviate some of the symptoms.Huntington’s disease is caused by a mutation of a gene that the produces the Huntington protein. This protein influences a number of processes in the cells of the brain.

Avicena Group, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: AVGO), a late stage biotechnology company focused on commercializing its proprietary cellular energy modulation technology, announced today its participation at the Huntington’s Disease of America Society’s 22nd Annual Convention, which will take place June 15 - 17, 2007 in Oklahoma City, OK.