Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder in which the
degeneration of dopaminergic neurons projecting from the substantia nigra to the striatum is
a key pathological feature of the disease. Although pharmacological dopamine replacement
is generally very effective in early disease, it is only a symptomatic therapy and can have
significant side effects with long term use. One of the key strategies in a more restorative
approach to PD therapy involves replacement of this degenerating nigro-striatal …

Cell replacement therapy (CRT) offers great promise as the future of regenerative medicine
in Parkinson´ s disease (PD). Three decades of experiments have accumulated a wealth of
knowledge regarding the replacement of dying neurons by new and healthy dopaminergic
neurons transplanted into the brains of animal models and affected patients. The first clinical
trials provided the proof of principle for CRT in PD. In these experiments, intrastriatal
transplantation of human embryonic mesencephalic tissue reinnervated the striatum …