Understanding and promoting the functional integration of neural transplants in Parkinson’s disease

Abstract

Clinical trials have provided evidence that the transplantation of new dopamine neurons (DAn) into the striatum of Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients can survive, integrate and restore motor function. Demonstrated first using fetal donor tissue isolated from the developing ventral midbrain (VM), the procedure was hindered by challenges of poor tissue standardisation, limited availability and ethical considerations. Recently, studies have seen a rapid advancement in the use of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC), differentiated into dopamine progenitors, as a viable alternative and standardized donor source. Despite recently advancing to clinical trials, several questions remain regarding the ..