title: Immunization as treatment for Parkinson's disease.
abstract: Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders share a common pathologic pathway with aggregation and deposition of misfolded proteins causing a disruption of particular neuronal networks. Several mechanisms have been implicated in the downstream events following deposition of misfolded proteins including free radical formation and failure of cellular defences such as autophagy or protein-degradation by the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway among many others. Treatments, however, capable of arresting or at least effectively modifying the course of disease do not yet exist. Recently, immunization approaches including passive and active immunization have been tested in animal models of various neurodegenerative disorders and have already entered into clinical trials for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. In this review, we specifically focus on the current status of immune-based approaches that are presently developed as a potential therapy of Parkinson's disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Daniela Besong
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Agbo
authors.forename: Frauke
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Neff
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Seitz
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Binder
authors.forename: Wolfgang H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Oertel
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bacher
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dodel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D007114:Immunization / Q000379:methods*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy*