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Prospects of stem cell therapy for replacing dopamine neurons in Parkinson's disease.

Authors :
Lindvall O
Kokaia Z
Source :
Trends in pharmacological sciences [Trends Pharmacol Sci] 2009 May; Vol. 30 (5), pp. 260-7. Date of Electronic Publication: 2009 Apr 09.
Publication Year :
2009

Abstract

In Parkinson's disease (PD), the main pathology is a loss of nigrostriatal dopamine (DA) neurons. Clinical trials with intrastriatal transplantation of human embryonic mesencephalic tissue have shown that grafted DA neurons reinnervate the striatum, restore striatal DA release and, in some patients, induce major clinical benefit. Stem cells could provide an unlimited source of DA neurons for transplantation. Recent studies demonstrate that cells with properties of mesencephalic DA neurons can be produced from stem cells of different sources including reprogrammed somatic cells. However, as we discuss here, it remains to be shown that these cells can provide efficient functional reinnervation and behavioral recovery in animal PD models. Moreover, a clinically competitive cell therapy for PD will require better criteria for patient selection, improved functional efficacy of grafts by a tailor-made transplantation procedure providing optimum repair of the patient's DA system and strategies to prevent dyskinesias and tumor formation.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
0165-6147
Volume :
30
Issue :
5
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
Trends in pharmacological sciences
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
19362379
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tips.2009.03.001