Genea Biocells and Duke University receive Huntington's disease grant

Australian stem cell company Genea Biocells and Duke University have been awarded a joint collaborative grant as part of the 2014 HDSA (Huntington’s Disease Society of America) Huntington’s Disease Human Biology Project. The joint application was awarded for the development of a stem-cell-based neuromuscular model of the debilitating neurodegenerative genetic disorder.

One of eight proposals to receive a research grant from the HDSA initiative, the project was also declared the highest-ranking application and the distinguished winner of the Amy Bradshaw Humphrey Memorial Award. The award was presented to Duke University Research Scientist Dr Barbara Calamini, whose team will collaborate with Genea Biocells to compare stem-cell-derived muscle cells with biopsied muscle cells from HD patients and provide an alternative resource for disease modelling and drug screening in difficult-to-obtain patient tissues and organs.

The co-principal investigator on the application, Genea Biocells Business Development VP Dr Jamshid Arjomand, said the aim of the studies is to investigate the suitability of skeletal muscle for HD research using stem cells coaxed into becoming muscle cells. He explained, “Since sampling human brain for drug testing is not possible, more accessible tissues, such as blood, skin and muscle, might provide alternative substitutes for research and drug discovery.”

Genea Biocells has previously derived HD human stem cells and developed a method for making human skeletal muscle from pluripotent stem cells. The company separately released research last week, conducted jointly with Macquarie University, which describes a human stem-cell model that recapitulates Huntington’s disease pathology and offers insights into the cause and progress of the disease.