Local people affected by Huntington鈥檚 disease have visited laboratories at 麻豆传媒 University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry (PUPSMD), to see the facilities and meet the research team working to find a treatment for the disease.
Around 20 people with Huntington鈥檚, their family and friends, visited PUPSMD where they had a tour of the labs and found out about the latest research carried out there. Researchers showed the visitors around the facilities, which included cell culture, state of the art microscopes and other aspects of the labs.
Visitors Eric and Pauline Thompson, and their daughter Jamie who is expecting her first baby, were impressed by the facilities. Pauline said:
鈥淚t has been overwhelming and a lot to take in, but it is great that important research is being carried out here in 麻豆传媒.鈥
Another visitor was Anne Holder, who came to find out more because she was concerned about her six year old grandson. She said:
鈥淲hat is happening here gives us hope 鈥 something which we do not have a lot of for Huntington鈥檚. It鈥檚 been great to find out more about how people here are working to find a cure and it is nice to know it is on our doorstep. I know it takes time for things to develop, but I hope that there will be something for my grandson.鈥
The visit was organised by Jamie Lake, who has Huntington鈥檚 disease and who with his brother Dave Robson runs events and activities to raise money for and awareness of the disease. He said:
鈥淲e have Huntington鈥檚 in our family, and when Dave and I came to visit the labs a few months ago they very kindly offered to host a visit for others in the area interested in the disease. I think it鈥檚 fair to say that everyone who came got something out of the visit, if only the hope that there are people locally working hard to find a cure. We will certainly be looking at ways to help the research team at PUPSMD in the future.鈥
Researchers from PUPSMD recently received a grant of nearly 拢520,000 from the Medical Research Council, to investigate the potential of manipulating activity at a cellular level in order to develop an effective therapy for Huntington鈥檚 disease.
The team will analyse a protein called Bim, which causes cell death in various tissues including those of the brain. At present it is unclear how Bim levels and activity increase in Huntington鈥檚 disease, and the study will aim to identify the mechanism which allows this increase. By understanding the mechanism and how it works, the way could be open for manipulating it to create an effective therapy for the disease.
The study is led by , Associate Professor in clinical neurobiology. He said:
鈥淚t was a pleasure to show Jamie and his associates around the lab and to show them what we are doing to find a treatment for Huntington鈥檚 disease. It is good for us to meet people who are affected by what we are researching, and I hope they found the visit useful.鈥
Christian Burden, Director of Development at 麻豆传媒 University, added:
鈥淲e pride ourselves on working closely with local representatives of charities and organisations associated with our areas of research. We are looking forward to helping Jamie and his group in the future.鈥
Huntington鈥檚 disease is an hereditary disorder of the nervous system caused by a faulty gene on chromosome four. The faulty gene leads to nerve damage in the area of the brain resulting in gradual physical, mental and emotional changes. Those born to a parent with Huntington鈥檚 disease have a 50:50 chance of developing it, and there is currently no cure.