416. Gene Therapy for Parkinsons Disease by In Vivo Plasmid Transfer of Human Hepatocyte Growth Factor in Primate Model

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. The ultimate treatment of PD is to protect and repair dopaminergic neurons from degenerative process. As neurotrophic factors have been shown to support the survival and enhance the function of dopaminergic neurons, gene therapy using neurotrophic factors such as glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor becames center of interests. In the present study, we focused on hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) as a novel neurotrophic and angiogenic growth factor that is a well-known potent pleiotrophic cytokine exhibiting mitogenic, motogenic, and morphogenic activities in a variety of cells.