2015年5月14日
临床将为病人提供协同治疗和最具破坏性的遗传性神经系统疾病的最新研究
芝加哥 –；最近推出了一个多学科诊所
致力于患者对抗亨廷顿'的研究和综合治疗的疾病。新诊所将集中于病人
护理和发现新的治疗方法，这种遗传性疾病，导致
大脑中神经细胞的渐进破坏。
&ldquo；亨廷顿&rsquo；s病是一种遗传性疾病，特点是异常运动和认知困难的基因突变导致亨廷顿，&rdquo；迪米特里说krainc，医学博士，哲学博士
，的Ken &亚伦Montgomery Ward教授；在西北大学费因伯格医学院神经病学鲁思Davee部
。 “The very complex nature of this disease requires a collaboration of top experts in the fields of neurology， psychiatry， genetics， social work and more。 Our Huntington’s clinic will provide multidisciplinary care with researchers在the forefront of research and physicians providing the most comprehensive treatment available。 It’s a group dedicated to improving the quality of life for our patients， finding better treatments and one day， hopefully， a cure。
In the United States， about 30，000 people have Huntington’s disease and many more are在risk of developing it。 For these patients， brain cells， or neurons， in certain areas of the brain start to break down。 As the neurons degenerate， the disease can lead to emotional disturbances， loss of intellectual abilities and uncontrolled movement。 A parent with Huntington disease has a 50 percent chance of passing the disease on to their child。 A genetic test can determine if someone has the gene and will develop the disease。 There is no cure for Huntington’s disease and while medicine can help manage some of the symptoms， it cannot slow down or stop the disease。
Throughout the past decade， Krainc has been recognized as one of the leading Huntington’s disease researchers， having discovered how abnormal huntingtin leads to the dysfunction of brain cells early in the disease or before the symptoms appear。 This research has identified the underpinnings of the disease that serves as the foundation for development of new treatments。
“Our physicians and researchers all have the same goal - to improve the quality of care for patients在every stage of this disease，” said Danny Bega， MD，
一个神经科医师和临床主任亨廷顿&rsquo；s病门诊
在西北纪念医院 and a faculty member在Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine。 “While there is no cure for Huntington’s， we will work with patients to help them cope with emotional challenges while also finding the best medications to treat symptoms。 In addition， we provide support for their caregivers， families and loved ones。”
The other key researchers who study Huntington’s disease在Northwestern University are:
·； D。 James Surmeier， PhD， Nathan Smith Davis Professor of Physiology and chair of Feinberg’s Department of Physiology。 Surmeier researches how the brain’s basal ganglia network stops working normally in Huntington’s patients， which affect their core motor symptoms。 His lab utilizes an animal model of Huntington’s disease with the same genetic mutation associated with the human disease。 Insights gained from this work are currently being applied to clinical trials testing new therapies。
·； Richard B。 Silverman， PhD， John Evans Professor of Chemistry and professor in Molecular Biosciences在Northwestern University’s Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences。 Silverman studies the mechanisms and design of drug agents to treat several neurodegenerative and neurological diseases。 In a previous Huntington’s disease project， his group synthesized compounds active in cells that had drug-like properties and investigated their potential to reverse the effects of neurodegeneration。
·； Richard I。 Morimoto， PhD， Bill and Gayle Cook Professor in Molecular Biosciences在Weinberg。 Morimoto
investigates cell stress response pathways and protein homeostasis networks that determine the folding， transport and clearance of the proteins expressed in the body。 His lab employs biochemical， genetic， molecular， proteomic and genomic methods to identify changes that occur during Huntington’s disease and other age-associated neurodegenerative diseases。 ·； Ravi Allada， MD
， chair of Weinberg’s department of Neurobiology and professor in Feinberg’s department of Pathology。 Allada’s research focuses on the circadian regulation of sleep behavior。 Allada’s laboratory tests the hypothesis that the circadian clock function is linked to the neurodegenerative decline seen in Huntington’s disease and other conditions， and to discover the genetic bases of these links in hopes of providing novel pharmaceutical targets and protective strategies。
For more information on the Northwestern Medicine 亨廷顿&rsquo；s病门诊， click here。 To make an appointment， please call (312) 695-7950。
媒介接触：
希拉galloro
高级媒体关系副
312-926-0735
sgalloro@nm。org
