Use of growth factors for the treatment of Parkinson's disease

The problems associated with conventional therapeutic options for the treatment of advanced Parkinson’s disease means that the development of new and improved therapies is imperative. Neurotrophic factors comprise an array of growth factors that promote cell survival, differentiation and maintenance of neurons in the developing and adult central nervous system. As such, these factors may be an important tool for the treatment of progressive neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. Since the finding that the glial cell line derived neurotrophic factor might promote the survival and regeneration of dopaminergic neurons in experimental models and recent clinical trials, the use of neurotrophic factors has been considered central to the development of novel therapeutic strategies. In addition, new techniques for the delivery of neurotrophic factors, including intracerebral infusion, cell-based ex vivo therapy or viral vector mediated in vivo gene therapy, are being considered. In this article, the authors summarize a series of neurotrophic factors that provide neuroprotection for, or restoration of, dopaminergic neurons and the potential clinical availability of this approach for the treatment of patients with Parkinson’s disease.