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This week on "Healthwatch," we're talking about breakthroughs in laboratory research that could one day lead to treatments or cures for disease.
Huntington's disease is a neurological disorder caused by a mutation in the gene that makes a specific protein. In this disorder, nerve cells that control movement and certain mental functions die. Patients die within 10 to 15 years of the onset of the disease.
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas have found that some drugs used to treat psychiatric illnesses may help protect the affected brain cells, slowing the progression of the disease.
Dr. Ilya Bezprozvanny, an associate professor of physiology at UT Southwestern, found that these drugs block the chemical signals for cell death in cell cultures. The next step is to test the treatment in animal models and see if the loss of motor function can be prevented.
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March 2005
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