Hereditary Disease Foundation

The Hereditary Disease Foundation (HDF) aims to cure genetic disorders, notably Huntington's disease, by supporting basic biomedical research.[1]

Hereditary Disease Foundation
FounderDr. Milton Wexler
PurposeHuntington's disease and brain disorders research funding
Location
  • New York City, New York, United States
Region
Worldwide
MethodsGrant-making
Websitewww.hdfoundation.org

History
Nancy Wexler; current president of the HDF

In 1968, after experiencing Huntington's disease (HD) in his wife's family, Milton Wexler was inspired to start the Hereditary Disease Foundation, with the aim of curing genetic illnesses by co-ordinating and supporting research.[1] At a workshop held by the HDF in 1979, participants proposed to map the human genome and find a marker for the gene which causes HD. The HDF, together with the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and Wexler's daughter, Nancy Wexler, organized the US–Venezuela Huntington's Disease Collaborative Research Project. This project studied a kindred with an unusually high prevalence of HD. In 1983, a marker for a gene was found, and in the next decade, with further HDF involvement, the exact gene (Huntingtin) was found. Many techniques developed in finding the Huntingtin gene were used to advance the Human Genome Project.[2][3] The Huntingtin gene was also one of the first disease genes to be found. Its discovery and the debates raised have provided the framework for genetic testing, counselling and possible therapies for other genetic diseases that can be genetically tested.

Presidency

Nancy Wexler is the foundation's president.[4]

References
  1. "Hereditary Disease Foundation – About Us". Hereditary disease foundation. 2008. Archived from the original on March 12, 2009. Retrieved March 27, 2009.
  2. Young AB (October 2009). "Four decades of neurodegenerative disease research: How far we have come!". J. Neurosci. 29 (41): 12722–8. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3767-09.2009. PMC 2807668. PMID 19828782.
  3. MacDonald, M (March 1993). "A novel gene containing a trinucleotide repeat that is expanded and unstable on Huntington's disease chromosomes. The Huntington's Disease Collaborative Research Group" (PDF). Cell. 72 (6): 971–83. doi:10.1016/0092-8674(93)90585-E. hdl:2027.42/30901. PMID 8458085. S2CID 802885.
  4. Hereditary Disease Foundation, Governance Archived 2015-10-22 at the Wayback Machine
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