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There are so many exciting things happening in HD research in the world today! Thank heaven for the HD Lighthouse Editors for keeping up with them all and providing us with editorals to help us better understand not only the research but how it may affect us today or in the future.........THANK YOU!!!
Low brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in serum of Huntington's disease patients.
Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet.
2007 Jun 5;144B(4):574-577
HD Lighthouse Editoral [go to link for full article]
http://www.hdlighthouse.org/research/bdnf/updates/1465BDNF.php
http://www.hdlighthouse.org/research/bdnf/updates/1465BDNF.php
-- Marsha L. Miller, Ph.D. Posted to the HDL: 18 May 2007
The sample was small and the study was not longitudinal so more work will need to be done but it looks like BDNF levels in serum may turn out to be a biomarker for disease progression. It is important for researchers to find and validate biomarkers so that clinical trial time can be reduced and those who have not reached clinical onset as it is currently defined can be included in clinical trials. When treatments become available, biomakers may be used to identify when gene carriers should start taking them.
Huntingtin Interacting Proteins Are Genetic Modifiers of Neurodegeneration
Full study in HTML: http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=17500595
PLoS Genet. 2007 May 11;3(5):e82.
HD Lighthouse Editoral [go to link for full article]
http://www.hdlighthouse.org/abouthd/updates/1447protein%20interaction.php
http://www.hdlighthouse.org/abouthd/updates/1447protein%20interaction.php
-- Marsha L. Miller, Ph.D. Posted to the HDL: 18 May 2007
This is important research because we still do not fully understand the functions of the normal huntingtin's protein, nor have we identified all the pathologies caused by the HD protein and their relative importance in the disease. This kind of research promises to shorten the time it takes to develop significant treatments by identifying major targets for drug development or gene therapy.
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