New drug for Huntington’s trialled

A new drug treatment for the degenerative neurological condition Huntington’s disease is to be trialled in Glasgow.

Two new drugs, which manufacturers at Wave Life Sciences believe could target the faulty gene that causes the condition, are being tried out at a number of locations across the world.

A number of patients with earlyonsetsymptomsofhunt- ington’s disease have already been chosen to take part in the trial at Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

Lead researcher Dr Stuart Ritchie said: “I am very excited Glasgow has been chosen to take part in this early stage drug trial.

“The Huntington’s disease community in the West of Scotland now have the opportunity to be involved in these ground-breaking research programmes.”

Huntington’s disease affects parts of the brain, with sufferings experiencing symptoms including stumbling and clumsiness, involuntary jerking or fidgety movements of the limbs and body and mood swings and personality changes.

They can also be liable to have difficulty concentrating and memory lapses, depression and eventually develop problems with swallowing, speaking and breathing.

The disease is inherited, with sufferers usually starting to experince sysmptoms between the ages of 30 and 50.