Join the #HDSAFamily as we turn up the global volume on HD awareness. Visit www.HDSA.org/letstalkaboutHD for more info. Don’t forget to share your stories about participating in HD research!
An international Initiative to develop stem cell therapeutics for Huntington’s Disease
Research into stem cell treatments for Huntington’s Disease has advanced considerably over the past decade. The main goal of this field is to develop methods of replacing or supporting brain cells that are damaged in HD. However, many questions remain to be answered before this is possible as a therapy. For example, what are the most important experiments to perform in animal models? What types of devices or surgeries would be optimal? What’s the safest and best way to run a trial in humans? To address the gaps in our knowledge and speed the development of stem cell therapies, HD scientists have come together to form an international network. The initiative was co-championed by Dr. Anne Rosser and HDSA scientific advisory board member Dr. Leslie Thompson, and was kickstarted last week at a conference in California. Experts discussed their recent findings and had the opportunity to form new collaborations to tackle their common goal of developing stem cell-based HD therapies.
HDSA webinar on stem cells now available
Speaking of stem cells, check out HDSA’s most recent webinar, presented by Dr. Jack Reidling who works closely with Dr. Leslie Thompson at the University of California, Irvine. He shared some data from his recent paper about implanting stem cells into the brains of mice to try and replace cells lost in HD. The video is available on our webinars page and on HDSA’s youtube channel.
