HDF Awards $2M to Two Huntington's Disease Research Teams
NEW YORK – October 29, 2026 -- The Huntington's Disease Foundation (HDF) has awarded $2 million across two 2026 Transformative Research Awards (TRAs), giving $1 million each to teams targeting the toxic huntingtin protein behind Huntington's disease (HD).
HDF typically funds one TRA a year. CEO Meghan Donaldson said the "extraordinary potential" of both proposals warranted funding each. The foundation attributes the expanded round to new major donors.
Harding team pursues small molecules to clear huntingtin
Dr. Rachel Harding of the Structural Genomics Consortium and the University of Toronto leads one funded collaboration. Her project, "Structure-Guided Development of Small Molecule Therapeutics Targeting the Huntingtin Protein," builds on a small molecule that binds directly and selectively to huntingtin.