Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by neurodegeneration in a specific region of the brain affecting dopaminergic neurons. Greater than 500,000 Americans suffer from this progressive, debilitating disease. Current therapies affect only symptoms, so there are no therapies that reverse or halt the motor dysfunction. Mixed results have been found with transplantation of fetal neural stem cells into the brains of PD patients, originally introduced in the late ‘80s, often however with serious side effects, including dyskinesia.

Neuronascent is developing noninvasive therapeutics that promote neurogenesis, new neuron growth, using the brain's own adult neural stem cells. Our lead therapeutic family for PD represents an exciting new class of potential therapies, that in vitro promotes new neuron growth from ventral midbrain stem cells and that inhibits neuron loss due to key initiators of dopaminergic neuron death. Our program for Parkinson's disease is in the discovery phase.

For more information on Parkinson's disease, please visit the Michael J. Fox Foundation at www.michaeljfox.org.