Revolutionizing Huntington's Disease Treatment: Breakthroughs in AAV-Mediated Gene Therapy

Huntington's Disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative condition caused by an expansion of CAG repeats in the Huntingtin (HTT) gene, leading to a toxic form of the HTT protein. Despite advances in understanding the disease and developing symptomatic treatments, effective therapies for modifying its progression remain limited. Among emerging and novel treatments for central nervous system (CNS) disorders, gene therapy (GT), particularly using adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated gene delivery, holds great promise. Numerous preclinical and clinical trials are exploring the benefits of AAVs for treating neurodegenerative and genetic diseases. However, while widely used and investigated in rare and genetic disease treatment, AAVs' potential for HD treatment remains underexplored. The absence of a comprehensive collection of previous reports, advancements, and methodologies regarding exclusively AAV-mediated GT for HD is notable and prompted us to address this gap. The current review compiles the available and emerging information regarding the application of AAVs in HD therapy, outlines the promise of this approach, and highlights the necessity of conducting further studies to achieve efficient HD treatment. The authors hope that the current review will guide further research to unlock the full potential of AAVs in treating HD.