UCI receives renewal of designation as Huntington’s Disease Society of America Center of Excellence

UCI has once again received renewal as a Center of Excellence from the Huntington’s Disease Society of America. UCI was originally awarded certification in 2019. The HDSA Centers of Excellence are multi-disciplinary teams with demonstrated expertise that share an exemplary commitment to providing comprehensive care for this complex, hereditary, neurodegenerative disease. The clinical research conducted is crucial to the discovery and development of potentially life-changing treatments that can improve the lives of all those affected by HD. This year, $1,896,333 has been awarded to the HDSA Centers of Excellence program. This fatal disorder causes progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain, deteriorating a person’s physical and mental abilities during their prime working years. Every child of a parent with HD has a 50/50 chance of inheriting the faulty gene that causes it. “Renewal of as an HDSA Center of Excellence program recognizes our dedication to patient care and active engagement in research to develop new therapeutic approaches,” says Leslie Thompson, Ph.D., Donald Bren and Chancellor’s professor in the departments of psychiatry & human behavior and biological chemistry at the UCI School of Medicine, and neurobiology & behavior in the School of Biological Sciences.