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Huntington’s Disease symposium Nov. 19 4:13 p.m., Nov. 11, 2005--The University of Delaware will be the site of a Huntington’s Disease Society of America research symposium from 9:30-11:30 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 19, in 100 Wolf Hall. Speakers will be Theresa Hughes, president of the Delaware affiliate of the Huntington’s Disease Society; Eric Kmiec, UD professor of biological sciences and director of the Laboratory of Genetic Medicine and Genomics; and Ann Marie Codori, who has worked in clinical and medical psychology at Yale University and Johns Hopkins University and who is in private practice in Baltimore. Registration for the event, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 9 a.m. Hughes, a vice president and director of trust administration at Morgan Stanley Trust who saw first-hand the struggles of several family members who developed Huntington’s Disease, will speak at 9:30. “This is the first of many new events that will help caregivers, families and friends concerned about Huntington’s Disease and its impact on their lives,” Hughes said. “I invite all who are interested in getting involved with this worthy cause to come and help us establish a strong chapter and work toward the cure.” Kmiec, whose research focuses on the molecular mechanism of gene repair in human cells and in the development of treatments for Huntington’s disease, will speak at 10:30 a.m. “This symposia will serve as a focal point to alert people from all walks of life interested in Huntington’s Disease about the important things happening in Delaware,” Kmiec said. “We hope that members of the University community and people from around Delaware in general will join with us in developing a strong presence statewide. There is a need for people to participate at every level so all are more than welcome.” Codori, who is a member of the board of directors of the Maryland affiliate of the Huntington’s Disease Society, will discuss her clinical experience with patients and their families at 11 a.m. Huntington’s Disease is an inherited, progressively degenerative brain disorder that results in a loss of both mental faculties and physical control. Symptoms usually occur in an individual between the ages of 30-50 years of age and progress over a 10-25 year period. The disease affects the individual’s ability to think, speak and walk. Ultimately, the weakened individual succumbs to pneumonia, heart failure or other complications. Current estimates are that one in every 10,000 people in the U.S. has Huntington’s, although its effects touch many more lives because each child of a parent with the disease has a 50 percent chance of inheriting the gene that causes it. To learn how to subscribe to UDaily, click here. |
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