Current advances in using neurotrophic factors to treat neurodegenerative disorders

Table 1 Neurotrophic factors that are currently under study for treatment of various disorders

	Neurotrophic factor	Target neurons	Current status
ALS	NGF and BDNF	Motor neurons	Recruiting for Phase 1 and Phase 2
Parkinson’s disease	GDNF/neurturin	Striatal neurons	Some Phase 1 complete, ongoing in Phase 1 and Phase 2
Huntington’s disease	BDNF	Striatal neurons	Pre-clinical
Alzheimer’s disease	NGF and BDNF	Cholinergic neurons, entorhinal neurons	Ongoing in Phase 1
Down Syndrome	NGF	Cholinergic neurons	Pre-clinical
Spinal Cord Injury	BDNF and NT-3	Site of injury	Pre-clinical
Obesity	BDNF	Hypothalamus	Pre-clinical
Lysosomal storage disorders	BDNF	Various in CNS	Pre-clinical
Sensory neuropathies	NGF	Sensory and sympathetic neurons	Phase 2 completed
Supranuclear Palsy	GDNF	Various in CNS	Phase 2 completed

Current status defines Phase trials that have either been completed or are underway [32]. Pre-clinical status was assigned to each if the neurotrophic factor has been shown to rescue neuronal functioning in target neurons in rodent and primate models of disease.

ISSN: 2047-9158