Holly Gregory

An immunomodulatory encapsulation system to deliver human iPSC-derived dopaminergic neuron progenitors for Parkinson’s disease treatment Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative condition associated with the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons. This leads to neurological impairments with heightening severity and is globally increasing in prevalence due to population ageing.

Peripheral nerve injury affects 11 people out of every 100,000 in the UK per year [1], and often requires surgical intervention to promote the return of sensory or motor function. In a transection injury scenario this procedure unites the two ends, and when a large gap in the nerve tissue is evident it usually involves implanting an autologous nerve graft as a bridge between the stumps.

1. Introduction Even in the best-case scenario, with microsurgical therapy providing a supportive environment for regeneration, neuron growth rate is limited to ~1 mm/day [1]. Therefore, months to years can elapse before regenerating neurons reach their target organ. For motor neurons growing back to muscle, this delay leaves the muscle with no nerve stimulation over time, resulting in irreversible wasting.