Hundreds Of Potential Drug Targets For Huntington's Disease Identified By Genome-Scale Study

Researchers at the Buck Institute have identified hundreds of identifiable “druggable molecular targets” linked to the deadly Huntington’s disease. By using RNA interference technology, the researchers were able to create a road map that could reveal to this mysterious disease. Huntington’s disease is a rare genetic disorder that is inherited. The strange part of this rare disease is that it is a dominant allele. Huntington’s disease does not show its motor skill regression symptoms until the adult stage of a human’s life. This genetic disease affects 150,000 that are at risk for this disease that causes the release of neuronal toxins. The research provided exhibits the benefits pharmaceutical modification of the RRAS gene (gene that controls motility and neural development) could benefit those with Huntington’s disease.



Although this news of the mysterious Huntington’s disease is uplifting, it is still in its earliest stages and therefore need much more time before applications can actually be made. Huntington’s disease is a devastating disease that does not arrive until an individual has probably already made life decisions where an offspring has been spawned. It is an unfortunate disease that can be detected years before the actual symptoms arrive. If a therapeutic cure could be developed, the impact it could bring would not just save lives, it would also save the minds of those already infected. Knowing that one ’s self has the disease could possibly wreak havoc on the mind of an individual as the symptoms are well documented. The research conducted brings a touch of happiness to a normally depressing topic.