Telethon Italy is one of the biggest biomedical charities in Italy. It aims to advance biomedical research towards diagnosis, cure and prevention of genetic diseases. One such disease is Huntington's disease, an incurable brain disorder.

EuroStemCell partner and stem cellⁱ scientist Elena Cattaneo received a grant of 347,400 Euros for a research project aiming to understand the mechanisms of Huntington's Disease and its functions. This project will end in December 2009, but there is still much important work to be done to find a cure for this disease and other genetic disorders. You can hear Elena Cattaneo's message in support for Telethon on their website.

Telethon Italy's solidarity marathon on 11-13 December 2009 will also be supported by war reporter Charles Sabine, who has Huntington's disease. He has not yet begun to show symptoms, so he is travelling the world talking about his family's history with the disease and promoting scientific research that might lead to a cure. A short film of Charles Sabine will be shown on Italian television as part of this year's Telethon solidarity marathon to raise funds for continued research into genetic disorders. You can view a preview on Telethon's website.