# Induced Adult Neurogenesis for Parkinson's Disease

> **NIH NIH R01** · UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER · 2020 · $477,089

## Abstract

SUMMARY
Loss of dopaminergic neurons is the principal cellular pathology underlying Parkinson's disease (PD). A
fundamental but unresolved challenge is how to replenish dopaminergic neurons and restore the
neurotransmitter dopamine-regulated neural circuits. Transplantation of dopaminergic neurons into the striatum
can reverse behavioral deficits of PD, highlighting the therapeutic value of striatal dopamine. However, the
efficacy of transplanted stem cells is limited by the survival and integration of induced neurons, as well as, the
potential for tumorigenesis. The long-term goal of this proposal is to define a new regenerative strategy for
neuronal induction using patient-specific endogenous glial cells. Our preliminary results show that resident glia
can be in vivo reprogrammed into neuroblasts in the adult striatum. These neuroblasts proliferate and generate
mature neurons when supplied with neurotrophic factors or the small chemical compounds valproic acid. Most
importantly, the newly generated striatal neurons can functionally integrate into local neuronal circuits. Three
aims are proposed in this application to further analyze and optimize the in vivo reprogramming process: 1) to
optimize the reprogramming process for the generation of dopaminergic neurons, 2) to functionally
characterize these induced dopaminergic neurons in the adult brain, and 3) to examine translatability of
induced dopaminergic neurons. The results of this work may lead to an entirely novel treatment paradigm for
PD.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9988510
- **Project number:** 5R01NS092616-05
- **Recipient organization:** UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Chun-Li Zhang
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $477,089
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-08-01 → 2022-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9988510

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9988510, Induced Adult Neurogenesis for Parkinson's Disease (5R01NS092616-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-01 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9988510. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*