Limerick man's crucial role in miracle Huntington’s disease breakthrough

A COUNTY Limerick man has played a key role in a major medical breakthrough in successfully treating Huntington's disease for the first time.

The devastating disease runs through families, relentlessly kills brain cells and resembles a combination of dementia, Parkinson's and motor neurone disease.

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Neurologist Dr Michael Murphy, aged 37, from Bruff, is the clinical trials lead at UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology in London where this groundbreaking research into Huntington’s took place.

The new treatment is a type of gene therapy given during 12 to 18 hours of delicate brain surgery. 

It means the decline you would normally expect in one year would take four years after treatment, giving patients decades of "good quality life", reports the BBC.

The Leader contacted Dr Murphy’s mum, Teresa, who said her son and all the team are very “excited”.

“When he was at home at Christmas, he said they had great hopes but then he called us last week and he was really excited. It's been tried before loads of times but this time it has actually worked out which is wonderful,” said Teresa, who is married to Mike and they have four children - Jacqueline, Henry, Joseph and Michael.

Dr Murphy attended Scoil Dean Cussen and the Convent in Bruff before continuing his education in University College Cork.

“He got a very normal upbringing and he's very normal - he’s a small town boy from Buff. If you're sick, he's the best in the world and explains everything,” said the proud mum.

Daughter Jacqueline said their parents - a recently retired care assistant in St John’s Hospital and a builder - are fantastic.

“We were very lucky to have them promoting the importance of education from an incredibly early age,” said Jacqueline.

None of the patients who have been treated are being identified, but one was medically retired and has returned to work. Others in the trial are still walking despite being expected to need a wheelchair.

The first symptoms of Huntington's disease tend to appear in your 30s or 40s and is normally fatal within two decades – opening the possibility that earlier treatment could prevent symptoms from ever emerging.

It is hoped the medical breakthrough might be a pathway for treatment of Alzheimer's and other neurological diseases in the future.

It has been a busy time for Dr Murphy in his private life as well, as he got married to Miriam in April.