Recent Advances in Parkinsons Disease

As a neuroanatomist and developmental neurobiologist, during the 1970s Björklund’s lab originated reliable methods for transplantation of embryonic tissues into brain that pioneered practical cell transplantation in the central nervous system, providing the basis for technologies that are now used by laboratories world-wide. In parallel, work in the field has progressed from basic anatomical and developmental studies in experimental animals, via applications for assessing cell replacement and repair using primary and stem cells in the damaged brain, and now underpinning the majority of methods in development for cell therapy in patients. His laboratory continues to analyse the fundamental neurobiology and principles of cell transplantation, regeneration and integration in the CNS, as well as originating the first trials of effective clinical cell transplantation (for Parkinson’s disease) in patients

Lund University, Lund, Sweden

Angela Cenci Nilsson (author name M. A. Cenci) is Professor of Experimental Medical Research at Lund University (Sweden) where she heads the Basal Ganglia Pathophysiology Group). The group’s research activities address the pathophysiology and pharmacology of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia using a multidisciplinary and translational approach. Current projects span a large variety of topics, including synaptic dysfunctions, dopamine receptor signaling, gliovascular-neuronal interactions, and neurorestorative treatments to enhance function and plasticity in the damaged nigrostriatal pathway. Angela has a combined clinical-basic science background, having graduated in Medicine and specialized in Neurology at the University of Verona (Italy) before obtaining a PhD degree in Neurobiology at Lund University under the supervision of Prof. Anders Björklund. In 2002 Angela received a tenured appointment as Associate Professor at Lund University, which was followed by an appointment as Full Professor in 2008. Angela has pioneered the development of symptomatic models of parkinsonism and L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia in rodents, and exploited these models to discover cellular mechanisms of disease and new therapeutic approaches. For these research achievements, she has received several awards (such as, the Erik K. Fernström Award for Young Promising Investigators, the Medal of Honours for Parkinson´s Research by the Swedish Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, and a recent membership in the Royal Academy for the Natural Sciences, Medicine and Technology in Lund). Angela currently serves on the scientific advisory boards and steering committees of several national and international research organizations, including the Swedish National Microscopy Infrastructure, The Swedish Parkinson’s Research Foundation, the Swedish Brain Foundation, the International Association for Parkinsonism and Related Disorders (IAPDR), and the International Basal Ganglia Society (IBAGS).

Lund University, Sweden