Healthcare News

Huntington's hope for anti-rejection drug
08/02/2006
Drugs traditionally used to prevent graft rejection are thought to be effective in the treatment of people with Huntington's disease.

Anti-rejection medications have been found to reduce the impact of neuron death and therefore could be used to treat against the onset of Huntington's.

Research into the effectiveness of the drug FK506, used to prevent graft rejection, has indicated that it protects against the impact of the protein known to trigger abnormal neuron death.

Blocking the toxicity of the protein is vital in developing possible preventative treatments for Huntington's disease, say scientists, raising hopes for further studies of the drug.

The study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, was carried out by researchers at the Institut Curie and aimed to uncover the process of neuron death during the disease.

Detailed investigations showed that FK506 inhibits calcineurin, which makes the mutant protein more toxic, therefore correcting the alteration of the protein and preventing neuron death.

Although further trials are needed, scientists hope that the drug can be fast-tracked into the development stages, bringing hope to future sufferers of Huntington's disease.