Huntington's disease animal model created

ATLANTA, May 19 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they have developed the first transgenic non-human primate model of Huntington's disease.

The scientists at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center at Emory University said they expect their achievement to help researchers better understand the disease and develop more effective therapies, as well as lead toward transgenic non-human primate models of other genetic diseases

"In the past, researchers have used transgenic mouse models to study the disease," said lead researcher Dr. Anthony Chan. "These models do not completely parallel the brain changes and behavioral features observed in humans with HD, thus making the development of a transgenic (rhesus macaques) primate model critical to currently treating and ultimately preventing the disease."

Chan, an assistant professor at Yerkes, added: "The transgenic monkeys are providing us with unparalleled opportunities for behavioral and cognitive assessments that mirror the assessments used with humans. With such information … we are developing a more comprehensive view of the disease than currently available."

The study with Stuart Zola, director of the Yerkes Research Center, appears in the advance online issue of the journal Nature.