Arlen Specter: “I am familiar with the horrible effects of Huntington's disease. In my state, 1,200 people are affected. But I am…”

“I am familiar with the horrible effects of Huntington's disease. In my state, 1,200 people are affected. But I am optimistic about a cure. HD research is advancing rapidly and could be the Rosetta stone to treatments for Alzheimer's Parkinson's, and other neurodegenerative disorders that together strike millions of people and their families. I am also hopeful that through public and private medical research funding, we will soon approach a better understanding of, and perhaps even a cure for, this terrible disease. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania are part of this effort. The federal government clearly has a significant role to play in this struggle. In Fiscal Year 1999, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) dedicated $62.5 million to Huntington's Disease research. Also commendable is the commitment of the Huntington's Disease Society of America (HDSA), which this year will allocate an estimated $2.8 million to research in this area.”