In Situ Cellular Reprogramming: A Novel Targeting of Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is estimated to affect around 8.5 million globally in 2019, according to the World Health Organization.Yet still, a cure for these people remains an unforeseeable dream.PD pathological hallmarks include the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra; however, the specific cause of this degeneration is unknown.It is believed to be caused by both genetic and environmental influences.Current therapies only offer symptomatic relief which inevitably worsens with age in tandem with PD degeneration.In situ cellular reprogramming (or the cell fate switch) differentiates itself from current treatments by targeting the root of PD symptoms: It replaces lost dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra and can reconstruct lost neural circuitry required for neuron function.The purpose of this review is to assess the translatability of in situ cellular reprogramming as a treatment for Parkinson's disease, as well as the benefits it provides in comparison to current therapies.This review also discusses future directions for research, guided by gaps in current knowledge, to shed light on possible approaches to curing PD.