Cell Therapy for Parkinson's Disease.

Abstract

Cell therapy for Parkinson's disease (PD) began in 1979 with the transplantation of fetal rat dopamine-containing neurons that improved motor abnormalities in the PD rat model with good survival of grafts and axonal outgrowth. Thirty years have passed since the 2 clinical trials using cell transplantation for PD patients were first reported. Recently, cell therapy is expected to develop as a realistic treatment option for PD patients owing to the advancement of biotechnology represented by pluripotent stem cells. Medication using levodopa, surgery including deep brain stimulation, and rehabilitation have all been established as current therapeutic strategies. Strong therapeutic effects have been demonstrated by these treatment methods, but they have been unable to stop the progression of the disease. Fortunately, cell therapy might be a key for true neurorestoration. This review article describes the historical development of cell therapy for PD, the current status of cell therapy, and the future direction of this treatment method.

• Authors: Takao Yasuhara, Masahiro Kameda, Tatsuya Sasaki, Naoki Tajiri, Isao Date
• Journal: Cell transplantation (Cell Transplant) Vol. 26 Issue 9 Pg. 1551-1559 (09 2017) ISSN: 1555-3892 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 29113472 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Topics

• Animals
• Cell Differentiation (physiology)
• Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy (methods)
• Dopaminergic Neurons (metabolism)
• Humans
• Parkinson Disease (therapy)
• Stem Cell Transplantation