HDSA Center of Excellence at Hennepin County Medical Center

Clinical Research

How do Huntington disease patients and their families get involved in clinical research?

In order to help find better treatments for HD, we offer the opportunity for individuals

to participate in clinical trials here at our Center of Excellence. Our studies may be

directed towards those who are already symptomatic, as well as those who are at-risk

for developing HD. Some of our studies involve testing potential treatments for HD.

All of our studies are subject to approval and monitoring by the Human Subjects Research Committee, our Institutional Review Board here at Hennepin County Medical Center. All participation in our research is optional, and does not in any way affect any individual’s clinical care or the management of their medical treatment.

Funding for the research we do is supported by the federal government (NIH, NINDS)

and from private foundations, such as the HDSA.

Anyone interested in possibly participating in a clinical study can contact Dawn Radtke

at 612-873-2943.

The HD studies currently being conducted at HCMC are:

• PHAROS – a prospective observational study for people who are unaware of their gene status, but are at-risk for development of HD.This study allows us to observe the features of the disease as it develops, and will provide the framework for subsequent treatment trials for those at-risk.
  
• PREDICT-HD – a prospective observational trial looking at brain imaging techniques and the diagnosis of HD features in people who are gene positive, but currently asymptomatic.

HCMC recently completed participation in the TETRA-HD study, and its open-label accom-panying study, LONG-TERM Tetra-HD.This study looked at using the drug Tetrabenazine

for the treatment of the chorea (the dance-like movements frequently seen in many HD patients.)We are looking for the FDA to grant their approval of this drug in the very near future.

Meet the Staff:

Dawn Radtke, RN, CCRC,  HD Clinical Research Coordinator Education/Outreach Activities Team member of the HD clinic since 1997 Member of the HD Operations Committee Annual MN State Conference Coordinator HD Clinic Website Coordinator Member of HDSA Dinner of Hope Dinner Committee MN Chapter HDSA Board member Fundraising for HD

Contact Information:
Telephone:  612-873-2943
Email:  dawnradtke@hotmail.com

Special Note: We would like to acknowledge and thank the HCMC Service League for providing grant funds to help maintain these web pages.