Nerve growth factor delivery systems

Growth factors encourage tissue regeneration and differentiation, accelerate wound healing, and modulate neural repair. Thus, growth factor administration may become a useful treatment for neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease, which are characterized by the degeneration of neuronal cell populations. Controlled-release polymer delivery systems may be an important technology in enabling the prevention of neuronal degeneration, or even the stimulation of neuronal regeneration, by providing a sustained release of growth factors to promote the long-term survival of endogenous or transplanted cells.