Scientists successfully treat Huntington's disease for first time in medical trial 

University College London Professor Ed Wild, Jack May-Davis, who found he carried the Huntington's disease gene when he was 19, and Professor Sarah Tabrizi. Picture: University College London

Huntington’s disease, a devastating degenerative illness that runs in families, has been treated successfully for the first time in a breakthrough gene therapy trial.

The disease, caused by a single gene defect, steadily kills brain cells leading to dementia, paralysis, and ultimately death. Those who have a parent with Huntington’s have a 50% chance of developing the disease, which until now has been incurable.