⭐️Cerebrospinal fluid collection in HDClarity ⭐️. What is cerebrospinal fluid?. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a clear, colourless fluid found in body tissue which surrounds the brain and spinal cord of all vertebrates.

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To begin participating in Enroll, go to

CSF can also be investigated alongside biomarkers from blood samples to evaluate biomarkers and pathways of relevance to HD research and development. How you can get involved:. If you are already in Enroll, talk to one of the team.

Why is CSF useful in HD research?. Since the procedure to collect it is non-invasive, CSF can be collected easily and at multiple time points to aid researchers in characterising disease stage and the progression of the disease.

Common biomarkers that have been researched so far in HD research include the neurofilament light chain protein (NfL) and the mutant Huntingtin (HTT) gene protein.

Biomarkers in CSF:. Biomarkers are objective, quantifiable characteristics of biological processes. Biomarkers in CSF can be measured through time to help with diagnosis, prognosis and monitor the effect of a clinical trial.

Side effects of a lumbar puncture:. Any side effects experienced, most of the time, resolve shortly after the procedure. The two most common side effects are lower back pain and headaches.

This procedure is safe, quick and very useful for researchers! . Lumbar punctures can often be performed within minutes, and are only completed by trained professionals.

CSF is an ideal fluid for assessing biomarkers in Huntington's disease (HD) due to its close proximity to the brain. Lumbar puncture:. A lumbar puncture, also known as a spinal tap, involves a hollow needle being inserted into the lower back to withdraw CSF.

The most recent HDClarity dataset (PDS3) is now available to request by researchers on the Enroll-HD website. Visit for more information. For those following the study, a summary document of this dataset is available to view via the ‘documentation’ page!.

If you guessed new training videos, you are correct! Coming to your local cinema (well EDC) Winter 2023. #UCL #HDresearch #HDClarity.

Something exciting is happening at HDClarity headquarters. Can you guess what?

We are recruiting! A Clinical Research Fellow to lead on training and QC for the HDClarity study and execute the study at the UCL site. Clinically-trained physicians from UK and overseas are invited to enquire! .

Global update: HDClarity has broken into the Southern Hemisphere! . We would like to officially announce the opening of University of Otago (🇳🇿) who have truly hit the ground running with 4 recruited participants. Welcome to the team @otago! Happy to have you onboard.

Cool science powered by patient generosity. Thank you HDClarity participants, Niels, and all the other Clarity site staff/investigators! That’s all for today. #HDTC2023

The crème de la crème! Three new and promising proteins identified from the HDClarity CSF samples. Can’t wait to see where these biomarker candidates go next…

Getting to the good stuff… comparing premanifest vs. controls. Niels shows us proteins that are changing before clinical signs of HD are apparent. Important results as finding changes in pre-HD individuals helps us identify new biomarker endpoints for earlier clinical trials!

Here we see how different proteins change in manifest HD vs. control participants. Extremely valuable as this helps us identify which proteins are HD specific and which ones aren’t.

1012 proteins?! That’s a lot of potential candidates to help in the fight against HD!