Gene and Cell Therapy for Peripheral Neuropathy

Abstract

Peripheral neuropathy describes a range of degenerative processes that affect the peripheral nervous system and are largely untreatable. These neuropathies affect both sensory and motor fibers and include diabetic neuropathy, chemical neuropathy, post-herpetic neuralgia and peripheral nerve injury. Other causes of neuropathy include alcoholism, nutritional deficits, Guillian-Barre syndrome, AIDS related neuropathy and neuropathy caused by toxins such as heavy metals. Current treatments focus on pain management and on microsurgical intervention such as nerve grafting (Federici and Boulis 2009). Therapies that focus on promoting axon growth and regeneration subsequent to peripheral nerve degeneration or injury are suboptimal.