Brno, August 19 (BD) – A team of scientists at University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Science in Brno has come to a possible solution that will help people with Huntington’s disease to set back its symptoms and find a cure.
Huntington’s disease is a fatal genetic disorder that results in the gradual death of the brain cells. It degenerates person’s mental and physical abilities and has no cure at the present. It is a genetic disease, thus runs through family where a child has a 50/50 chances of inheriting the faulty gene. Symptoms that develop in the age of 30 to 50 include personality changes, depression, involuntary movement, and dementia, all of which ultimately lead to a deadly condition. The gene affects approximately one person in 10.000 worldwide. However, it is said that the western countries have more patients than others.
Upon finishing, the series of experiments that lasted from July 24 to August 4, the multinational team of scientists from International Clinical Research Center of Brno, Nemocnice Na Homolce, PIGMOD Center, technicians from the Dutch company UniQure, and the British Renishaw have brought positive news that have verified the safety and positive results of gene therapy.
Scientists have tested gene therapy that uses magnetic resonance on miniature pigs where the given mutated gene was silenced from damaging the nervous tissue, therefore stopping the symptoms from progressing. More experiments will be conducted this autumn with the team waiting for the approval of a clinical trial to start helping the patients.
While there are about a thousand people affected by the disease in the Czech Republic, there is no cure for it. This research takes steps to finding a cure and delays the effects of Huntington’s disease, which brings hope for everyone affected by the misfortune.
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