ATLANTA, May 28, 2008 (UPI via COMTEX) -- U.S. scientists say they've created a
tool called an "intrabody" that can remove the mutant protein that drives
neurodegeneration in Huntington's disease.
Emory University researchers said they engineered a virus to make an
intracellular antibody, or "intrabody," against huntingtin, the protein whose
mutant forms poison the brain cells of people with Huntington's disease.
Injecting the virus into the brains of mice that make mutant huntingtin improves
their ability to move their limbs, although it doesn't prolong their lives.
Other researchers have shown various intrabodies can protect cells from mutant
huntingtin, but the Emory team led by Professor Xiao-Jiang Li said it is the
first to examine the effects of an intrabody in living mice.
The scientists said delivering the intrabody to brain tissues in people would be
a formidable challenge, since it would require some form of gene therapy.
However, Li said it might be possible to use information about the intrabody's
structure to find drugs that mimic its effects.
The study appears in the May-June issue of the Journal of Cell Biology.
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Copyright 2008 by United Press International