Single injection to reduce activity of Huntington’s disease gene

Single injection to reduce activity of Huntington’s disease gene
A single injection of a new treatment has been found to reduce the activity of the gene responsible for Huntington's disease for six months in a trial in an animal model.

(Read: What are neurological disorders)

In a previous study in mice, the team had curbed the mutant gene’s activity for just a couple of weeks.  By tweaking the ingredients of the zinc finger in the new study they were able to extend its effects to several months, repressing the disease gene over that period without seeing any harmful side effects. This involved making the zinc finger as invisible to the immune system as possible.
‘However, while these encouraging results in mice mean that the zinc finger looks like a good candidate to take forward to human trials, we still need to do a lot of work first to answer important questions around the safety of the intervention, whether repeat treatments are effective, whether there might be longer-term side effects, and whether we can extend and increase the benefits beyond six months,’ Isalan said.
‘If all goes well and we have further positive results, we would aim to start clinical trials within five years to see whether the treatment could be safe and effective in humans,’ Isalan pointed out.
Image source: Shutterstock

Disclaimer: TheHealthSite.com does not guarantee any specific results as a result of the procedures mentioned here and the results may vary from person to person. The topics in these pages including text, graphics, videos and other material contained on this website are for informational purposes only and not to be substituted for professional medical advice.

Previous Article

Zika headed for India? Virus first found in India 64 years ago, say experts

Next Article

Teens who are socially connected more likely to commit suicide: study