Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland together at the Moving Forward Webinar!
– Written by the Moving Forward Team on November 29th2023
On the 22nd of November, the Moving Forward team held a webinar for the Scandinavian countries on HD research updates. There were just over 70 participants from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland.
We were joined by Astri Arnesen, Lasse Pihlstrøm and Åsa Petersen to talk about what is happening in HD research globally and what is happening specifically in Norway and Sweden.
Astri Arnesen is the President of the European Huntington Association (EHA) and has built up good knowledge over the years when it comes to HD research through the work she does. She was able to present a nice overview of what is happening in HD research worldwide in a simple and understandable way for those of us who are not researchers. She informed the community about the most prominent ongoing studies and trials and also mentioned some lifestyle factors that can play a role in how the disease progresses and can help manage the symptoms better.
Lasse Pihlstrøm is an HD expert Neurologist and Researcher at Oslo University Hospital. He informed us about his work as Principal Investigator for the Enroll-HD study, the biggest observational study ever done in HD. Lasse has recently received funding to start a study where high-dose vitamin B3 will be tested in persons affected by HD in Norway. The study will start in 2024, in close collaboration with the national HD Association and the EHA.
Åsa Petersen is a Professor of Neuroscience and Senior Consultant in Psychiatry in Lund. She is a renowned HD expert and she is involved with different HD organizations and research groups. She talked about what is happening in Sweden, where there are several active groups conducting studies and trials on Huntington’s disease at the different universities. Åsa’s research has focused on the psychiatric symptoms of HD, which are seen as quite common and very impactful.
After the presentations, there was a lively session of Q&A, where all the attendees had the chance to express their doubts, questions and comments. We would like to thank everyone who had the opportunity to attend the webinar.
A special thanks to Astri, Lasse and Åsa who took the time to talk to us about what is happening in HD research and answer the many questions raised by the audience.
For those who did not have the opportunity to attend the webinar, you can check the webinar recording here. We hope that this can be the first of many events to bring together the HD communities from the Nordic countries!