Welcome to the latest edition of HD Insights, released at the 9th Annual CHDI Huntington’s Disease Therapeutics Conference. HD Insights brings you the latest in HD research, and we are grateful to the HSG, our sponsors, and our more than 1500 subscribers for their continuing support of this mission.
Throughout this issue, we explore the past, present, and future of tetrabenazine, the first FDA-approved treatment for HD. We profile Dr. Kathleen Clarence-Smith, who championed the approval of tetrabenazine by the FDA. We explore Auspex Pharmaceuticals’ lead compound SD-809, a deuterated analogue of tetrabenazine currently in phase III clinical trials. Dr. Pratik Shah, CEO of Auspex, comments on the company’s current projects and describes his hopes for the future. And Dr. Lise Munsie brings you a round-up of current research in HD, including new insights into the mechanisms of tetrabenazine. Also in this issue, we are pleased to feature the highlights of 2013’s HSG Annual Meeting and Clinical Research Symposium, brought to you by Dr. Christina Vaughan. Dr. Hans Johnson describes the use of high-performance computing in the analysis of PREDICT-HD imaging data, and we examine the results of two recently completed randomized controlled drug trials in premanifest HD. We continue to update you on the status of clinical trials, and to give you a glimpse into HD research in Canada.
The HD community is fortunate to benefit from the increasing number of sponsors developing novel therapies for HD. HD Insights relies on the support of these firms to bring their leaders, their compounds, and their research to more than 1500 readers around the globe. If you are interested in becoming a supporter, please contact me at editor@hdinsights.org
We welcome new contributors, suggestions for topics, and suggestions for how we can better serve you. If you or someone you know is interested in contributing to HD Insights, or if you have ideas that you would like to share with 1500 HD researchers and clinicians around the world, please contact me at editor@hdinsights.org . Finally, subscription to HD Insights is always free: simply send us an email at subscribe@hdinsights.org
Ray Dorsey, MD
Editor, HD INSIGHTSTM
HD DISCLOSURES: DR .DORSEY RECEIVES GRANT SUPPORT FROM LUNDBECK AND PRANA BIOTECHNOLOGY AND CONSULTS FOR AMGEN, LUNDBECK, AND MEDTRONIC.
Editorial Board Members
Ray Dorsey, MD — Editor, University of Rochester
Donald Kennedy, PhD — Stanford University
Nobuyuki Nukina, MD, PhD — Riken Brain Science Institute
Rodrigo Osorio — Agrupacion Chilena de Huntington
Bernard Ravina, MD — Biogen Idec
Ralf Reilmann, MD, PhD — George Huntington Institute
Sarah Tabrizi, MBChB, PhD — University College London
Leslie Thompson, PhD — University of California Irvine
Huntington Study Group
Shari Kinel, JD — HSG Executive Director
Liz McCarthy, BA — HSG Administrative Manager
Contributors
Meredith Achey, BM
Hans Johnson, PhD
Lise Munsie, PhD
Christina Vaughan, MD, MHS
Publication Staff
Meredith Achey, BM — Deputy Editor
Robin Taylor — Production Editor
Martin Holmes — Technical Editor
Dave Kolko — Distribution Specialist
For more information on HD Insights, or to receive a free subscription, please visit us at www.hdinsights.org or email us at editor@hdinsights.org .
