Tech Session II: Nanomedicine and Nanoscale Delivery (Focus: Nervous)
Dopamine-Modified Exosome: Autophagy Induction and Therapeutic Potential in Parkinson's Disease
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
3:16 PM – 3:27 PM EDT
Introduction: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder resulting from the death of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra[1]. Current treatments for PD focus on symptom alleviation[2]. Although adipose-derived stem cell-derived exosomes (ADSC-EXO) represent a promising nanomedicine for potentially modifying PD, inefficient and non-specific delivery of EXO to the brain has hampered their clinical application[3]. This study developed dopamine-functionalized ADSC-EXO (D-EXO) using a simple two-step click chemistry method to target dopaminergic neurons specifically.
Learning Objectives:
At the completion of this activity, participants will know
Describe the potential of D-EXO in targeting dopaminergic neurons for PD treatment.
Evaluate the efficacy of D-EXO in improving motor function and neuronal survival in PD models.
Explain the role of autophagy induction in the therapeutic effects of D-EXO on PD.
