This disease destroys brain cells and causes symptoms similar to dementia, Parkinson’s, and motor neurone disease
Medical reporter, Daily Dawnt, Dawn TV report
London: British experts have claimed to have successfully treated the rare neurological disease Huntington’ for the first time, saying that the new treatment method requires a long operation of up to 18 hours.
‘Huntington’ is a serious neurodegenerative disease; this disease destroys brain cells and causes symptoms similar to dementia, Parkinson’s, and motor neurone disease.
According to experts, the new treatment used gene therapy, which is done through delicate brain surgery lasting 12 to 18 hours.
The above-mentioned treatment method reduced the speed of the disease in patients by 75 percent, meaning that now the deterioration that occurs in one year in patients will occur in four years, but the patient cannot fully recover.
Experts said that the above treatment method can give patients many years of a good quality of life.
Experts said that the affected patients, who were completely helpless for medical treatment, are now in better condition and can walk without the need for a wheelchair.
Huntington’s disease is caused by a genetic defect, which makes the Huntington protein toxic in the brain.
The new gene therapy developed by experts sends a special DNA to the brain through a safe virus, which reduces the production of the toxic protein. The surgery is performed in two parts of the brain, the caudate nucleus and the putamen.
Experts said that a trial conducted on 29 patients found that after three years, the disease slowed down by 75 percent, and signs of brain cell death also decreased.
Experts have also developed a drug for gene therapy that is likely to be available in the United States by 2026, although it may take several more years for the drug to reach other countries.
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