[Nerve growth factors in future therapies. Protein mutation broadens the range of therapeutic possibilities]

The development and maintenance of the vertebrate nervous system requires a continuous supply of a number of polypeptide hormones known as neurotrophic factors. The ability of neurotrophic factors to promote the survival of peripheral and central neurons during development and after neuronal damage has aroused interest in these molecules as potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of nervous lesions and neurodegenerative diseases. Understanding of the molecular basis of the biological specificity of neurotrophic polypeptides has provided insight into their mechanisms of action and allowed strategies to be developed for the rational design of derivatives and analogues with specific pharmacological properties.