‘Seeding’ property provides new focus for treatment to delay progression of disorder
By identifying in spinal fluid how the characteristic mutant proteins of Huntington’s disease spread from cell to cell, researchers have created a new method to quickly and accurately track the presence and proliferation of these neuron-damaging compounds — a discovery that may accelerate the development of new drugs to treat this incurable disease.
The researchers added that the cell-to-cell “seeding” property of these mutant proteins seems to be a critical part of the disease’s progression. Their findings also advance a new drug-discovery approach: stopping the cellular transfer of the seeding compounds. Study results appear online in the journal “Molecular Psychiatry”.