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Gene therapy trial for Huntington's under way

Three patients at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are among the first in the world to receive a pioneering experimental treatment for the devastating and currently incurable neurological condition, Huntington's disease.

This international collaborative trial, sponsored by Roche pharmaceuticals, is the first gene therapy trial for a neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system.

Huntington's disease is an inherited genetic condition that typically begins in mid-life and gets progressively worse over time.

It results in difficulties with controlling movement, and dementia, and can cause significant behavioural problems. It progresses to severe disability and death over 20 years.

The GENERATION HD1 trial being conducted at the John Radcliffe Hospital is investigating a compound that is attempting to limit the production and lower levels of the toxic protein that kills nerve cells and causes the disease.

Read more about the trial on Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust's website.