Biotechnology for Neuroprotection

Neuroprotective agents aim to prevent neuronal death by inhibiting one or more of the pathophysiological steps in the processes that follow brain injury or ischemia due to occlusion of a cerebral artery. They also protect against neurodegeneration and neurotoxins. Application of new molecular technologies to dissect pathways and unravel mechanisms involved in damage to the nervous system are providing bases for development of new neuroprotective agents for diseases, which are currently treated by drugs that merely provide symptomatic relief. The topic is described in detail in the Handbook of Neuroprotection (Jain 2011). The concept of neuroprotection is now incorporated in development of drugs for neurologic disorders and more than 500 such approaches are in development including several that are based on biotechnology. For developing new neuroprotective strategies, it is important to understand the intrinsic neuroprotective factors in the human body. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.