Revolutionary gene therapy offers hope for Huntington's Disease patients

FOR the first time, doctors have successfully treated Huntington's disease, one of the most devastating genetic conditions known to medicine.

- SARENE KLOREN

DOCTORS have made a groundbreaking advancement in treating Huntington's disease with a pioneering gene therapy that could slow the disease progression by 75%.

(IOL AI)

Often described as a cruel combination of dementia, Parkinson's, and motor neurone disease, Huntington's gradually destroys brain cells, robs people of their independence, and ultimately proves fatal.

Now, a pioneering gene therapy has offered patients a future once thought impossible.

The trial, which involved 29 patients in Japan and Europe, showed that the new treatment slowed the progression of the disease by an average of 75%.

In practical terms, the decline expected in just one year would instead take four. Researchers believe this could translate into decades of better quality life for those affected.