Huntington's Research Watch

About this tracker

What this is. Huntington's Research Watch is an independent, volunteer-run tracker of Huntington's disease research and the therapeutic pipeline. Its goal is narrow and specific: to say, in plain English, what the current evidence actually establishes — including the failures, the uncertainty, and the difference between a biological signal and a real benefit to patients. It's a running assessment of the field, not a news feed, and it doesn't try to replace the organizations it draws from.

What this is not. It is not medical advice. It is not written or reviewed by a clinician or a Huntington's disease researcher, and it is not peer-reviewed. Nothing here should guide a treatment or trial decision on its own — those belong with your care team and with HDSA (1-800-345-HDSA). If you or your family are newly affected, start with HDSA, not with this page.

Who maintains it

This tracker is written and maintained by Mike Bidun, an independent volunteer. I'm not a clinician or a scientist — my background is in technology and governance. The reliability of this page doesn't come from medical credentials; it comes from a disciplined sourcing method, applied consistently and dated so you can check it yourself.

How it's built

Every factual claim is tied to a source, and the sources are ranked. Primary sources come first — ClinicalTrials.gov, peer-reviewed journals, and companies' and regulators' own announcements. Plain-language explainers written by scientists and patient organizations, above all HDBuzz and HDSA, are used to interpret those primary sources and are labeled as the explanatory sources they are.
Nothing is asserted without being checked against its source first. Trial phase, recruiting status, and the latest results are re-verified before they go on the page, because the pipeline moves.
The page carries two dates — when it was last checked, and when something substantive last changed — so you can see how current it is.
No hype. Preclinical, Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, discontinued, and approved are kept clearly distinct. A change in a biomarker is never reported as a benefit to patients. Setbacks and failed trials are shown as prominently as advances, and discontinued programs stay visible — understanding what didn't work is how you understand what comes next.
Uncertainty is stated plainly rather than smoothed over.

Made with AI assistance

This tracker is maintained with the help of AI tools, under my own editorial control and the method above — every claim is verified against its primary source by a human before it's published. I disclose this on purpose: transparent, accountable use of AI is something I care about professionally.

Corrections and feedback

If something here is wrong, out of date, confusing, or missing, please tell me — the critical feedback especially. Corrections are made promptly, and the change is dated. Write to [email protected].