Piecing the puzzle, together.

The literature in the field of HD, has approached a fork in the road, divided into creating new diagnostic techniques, or proactive manipulation of protein pathways. The knowledge of the literature has created a horizon for which we are starting to slowly see the makeup of a ‘cellular communicome’ (36). The usefulness of tools to diagnose and monitor HD progression is undeniable, however, the seemingly plateau of these techniques should prompt funding in utilizing manipulation experiments, as this has a far better outlook for HD patients.

Our agenda

Whilst there are many techniques of gauging the progression of HD, such as the employment of electrocephalograms, 11C-raclopride PET, voxel-based morphometry, diffusion-weighted MRI, more experiments need to be done on the identification of specific protein pathways, and consequently, more manipulation.

Looking to the future

Biomarkers currently identified are sufficient enough to track HD progression, and further establishment of biomarkers and monitoring would ultimately be redundant. Therefore, more experiments should be proposed to manipulate protein pathways, or suppress immune function, and gauge these through experiments utilizing the techniques of immunofluorescence with GFAP, ELISA,  single radial immunodiffusion assays, and semi-quantitative immunoblotting.

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