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The immunogenicity of midbrain dopaminergic neurons and the implications for neural grafting trials in Parkinson's disease.

Published version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Howlett, Sarah K 
Jones, Joanne L 
Barker, Roger A 

Abstract

Dopaminergic (DA) cell replacement therapies are a promising experimental treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD) and a number of different types of DA cell-based therapies have already been trialled in patients. To date, the most successful have been allotransplants of foetal ventral midbrain but even then, the results have been inconsistent. This coupled to the ethical and logistical problems with using this tissue has meant that an alternative cell source has been sought of which human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) sources have proven very attractive. Robust protocols for making mesencephalic DA (mesDA) progenitor cells from hPSCs now exist and the first in-human clinical trials have or are about to start. However, while their safety and efficacy are well understood, relatively little is known about their immunogenicity and in this review, we briefly summarise this with reference mainly to the limited literature on human foetal DA cells.

Description

Keywords

Immunogenicity, Transplant, Immune rejection, Parkinson’s Disease, Dopaminergic, Human Foetal Ventral Midbrain

Journal Title

Neuronal signaling

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

2059-6553

Volume Title

5

Publisher

Sponsorship
Wellcome Trust (203151/Z/16/Z)