In recognition of Huntington's Disease (HD) Awareness Month in May, Lundbeck Inc. launched the Build Hope for HD donation campaign.  The web-based initiative, conducted in conjunction with the Hereditary Disease Foundation(HDF) and the Huntington Study Group (HSG), is aimed at raising awareness of HD and generating support for a unique clinic in Venezuela that provided care exclusively for people affected by HD in a community greatly impacted y the disease.

Individuals who visited www.BuildHopeForHD.com and clicked on the campaign icon during May 2010 triggered Lundbeck to make a donation towards the clinic, Casa Hogar Corea de Huntington, Amor y Fe (Huntington's Chorea Home of Love and Faith).
 

The clinic is based in Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela, home to the largest known family with HD. The Hereditary Disease Foundation organized and supported the "Gene Hunters," a group of investigators who worked more for more than a decade in Venezuela to find the HD gene. In 1983, the Gene Hunters found a linked DNA marker that identified that the gene was on the top od the chromosome 4. It took another decade of arduous work to isolate the gene itself.  All of theses discoveries were done in collaboration with the Venezuelan HD families who contributions led to the "Gene Hunters" success.

To learn more abou t the clinic and research conducted in Venezuela, please visit www.HDFoundation.org

To learn more about Lundbeck Inc. please visit www.lundbeckinc.com