Yerkes National Primate Research Center Researchers Develop First Transgenic Nonhuman Primate Model of Huntington's Disease

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In the first study of its kind, researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, in collaboration with researchers from the Department of Human Genetics at Emory’s School of Medicine, have developed the first transgenic nonhuman primate model of Huntington’s disease (HD), one of the most devastating human neurodegenerative diseases. This development, reported in the May 18 Advance Online Publication of Nature, is expected to lead to greater understanding of the underlying biology of HD and to the development of potential therapies. In addition, this pioneering study, which was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health, is leading the way toward the development of nonhuman primate models of other genetic diseases.