Northwestern Medicine has opened a multidisciplinary center for comprehensive treatment of Huntington’s disease.

The center’s focus will be patient care and research, Northwestern’s hospital system and the Feinberg School of Medicine announced Wednesday.

About 30,000 people in the United States have Huntington’s disease, a hereditary neurodegenerative disorder that causes a loss of muscle coordination, mental decline and other behavioral symptoms. Although there are medications available to manage the symptoms of the disease, it has no known cure.

Scientists at Northwestern Medicine discovered a new origin for the involuntary muscle movements associated with the disease last July, identifying a new target for treatment of Huntington’s symptoms.

The new center will allow experts in psychiatry, neurology, genetics and social work to collaborate in addition to facilitating clinical trials.

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