iDAP- Nuwacell Biotechnologies Co.,Ltd.

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is the most common neurodegenerative and movement disorder. It is characterized by motor symptoms such as bradykinesia, muscle rigidity, and resting tremor. PD predominantly affects elderly patients over 65 years old. However, the onset of PD is increasingly observed in younger populations.

In August 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that the prevalence of PD has doubled over the past 25 years. In 2019, an estimated 8.5 million people worldwide were affected by PD. The disease caused 5.8 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), an 81% increase from 2000. PD also resulted in 329,000 deaths in 2019, more than double the number in 2000. China, the most populous country, is projected to have 5 million PD patients by 2030, accounting for nearly half of the global PD population.

Current conventional treatments for PD, primarily involving levodopa, are associated with "on-off" effects and significant medication complications. When patients experience reduced drug efficacy, clinical interventions typically include stereotactic targeting radiofrequency ablation (cell knife) and deep brain stimulation (DBS, or "brain pacemaker"). However, these treatments cannot reverse the disease course. To date, no curative therapy exists to alter or reverse the underlying disease progression. Some drug treatments may even exacerbate non-motor symptoms of PD.

Recent research has focused on cell transplantation to replace lost dopaminergic neurons, aiming to restore neurotransmission and protect remaining dopaminergic neurons. This approach holds promise for fundamentally treating or curing PD.

The use of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) has emerged as a key direction. iPSCs can self-replicate and directed differentiate into dopaminergic neurons. Achieving high-purity, large-scale, standardized production with strict quality control becomes the primary research focus.

iPSC-Derived Dopaminergic Progenitor Cells for the Treatment of PD

Through years of technological optimization and iteration, Nuwacell has developed a high-purity, universal iDAP product with the potential to provide a curative treatment for PD.