title: Targeting α-synuclein as a therapeutic strategy for Parkinson's disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  α-Synuclein, a neuronal protein, plays a central role in the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease (PD), the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder. Cases of PD have increased tremendously over the past decade necessitating the identification of new therapeutic targets to reduce patient morbidity and to improve PD patients' quality of life.
  
  
  METHODS
  The purpose of this article is to provide an update on the role of α-synuclein in fibrils formation and review its role as an effective immunotherapeutic target for PD. The rapidly expanding evidence for the contribution of α-synuclein to the pathogenesis of PD led to the development of antibodies against the C terminus of α-synuclein and other molecules involved in the inflammatory signaling pathways that were found to contribute significantly to initiation and progression of the disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The readers will obtain new insights on the mechanisms by which α-synuclein can trigger the development of PD and other related degenerative disorders along with the potential role of active and passive antibodies targeted against specific form of α-synuclein aggregates to clear neurotoxicity, stop the propagation of the prion-like behavior of these oligomers and reverse neuronal degeneration associated with PD.
authors.affiliation: a 1 American University of Beirut, Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiology Sciences , Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Nada B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Lawand
authors.affiliation: a 1 American University of Beirut, Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiology Sciences , Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Nayef E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Saadé
authors.affiliation: b 2 Hamad Ben Khalifa University, College of Science and Engineering, Education City, Qatar Foundation , Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Omar M
authors.initials: OM
authors.lastname: El-Agnaf
authors.affiliation: c 3 Qatar University, College of Medicine, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences , Doha, Qatar bsafieh@qu.edu.qa.
authors.forename: Bared
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Safieh-Garabedian
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D011788:Quality of Life; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000276:immunology; D051844:alpha-Synuclein / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D051844:alpha-Synuclein
keywords: Lewy bodies; Parkinson’s disease; immunotherapy; inflammation; neurodegenerative disorder; synucleinopathies; α-synuclein