Posted on: 16 July 2021, source: FierceBiotech
Scientists from Ohio State University have developed a novel method for delivering gene therapy to specific regions of the brain. Now, they have evidence from a small clinical trial in children that the treatment could address a rare, inherited neurodegenerative disease. And they believe their technique could eventually be used to treat more common brain diseases, like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. The Ohio State team developed the gene therapy to treat aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) deficiency, which hampers the body’s ability to make dopamine and serotonin and results in developmental delays and a range of motor and behavioral symptoms. The gene therapy uses a viral vector to carry DNA-expressing AADC to the brain.