The Current Treatment for Neurodegenerative Diseases

Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) refer to dysfunction of central nerve system, characterized by progressive loss of neuronal structure and function, ultimately resulting in decline in patients memory, motor ability, language and intelligence. The typical NDs include age related diseases like Aleimers disease (AD) and genetic diseases such as Huntingtons diseases (HD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). NDs impose heavy economic burden and suffer to the enormous patients over the world, however, many types of NDs do not have a cure; existing treatments only aim to improve their symptoms. Under that condition, Gene therapy has shown potential for transporting some genetic products into the cells and correct faulty genes. Over the years, research have highlighted the promise of gene therapies using AAV vector in treating NDs. At the same time, a number of emerging therapeutic technologies for neurodegenerative diseases, such as epigenetic interventions through acetylation/deacetylation, gene therapies that target specific mRNAs or non-coding RNAs, and photo biomodulation therapies that can act on brain tissue, are also being studied. In this discussion, we explore the historical, present, and future outlook of gene therapies for neurodegenerative conditions.