Mouse study offers evidence of Huntington's drug safety

Researchers at Emory University say they have run mouse studies that help to prove that eliminating a gene which triggers Huntington's disease--the focus of drugs in the clinic--shouldn't have any unexpected health consequences in adults. That huntingtin gene, which triggers brain cell death, is vitally necessary for embryonic development. But this animal study provides some added evidence that eliminating the gene in adults won't spur side effects. That's a theory, though, that will have to be tested carefully in human trials. Release