Parkinson's disease (PD) is an increasingly common neurodegenerative disease. The etiology of idiopathic PD is complex and multifactorial involving environmental contributions, such as viral or bacterial infections and microbial dysbiosis, in genetically predisposed individuals.
A limited understanding of the molecular events that drive neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration causes a major hindrance in the development of efficacious treatments for PD. Understanding these systems and triggers of disease may provide novel biological drug targets for the development of neuroprotective treatments as well the discovery of biochemical biomarkers of preclinical disease.
Here, we will report on our preclinical Parkinson’s disease research program that uses cell (bacterial, human and mouse) and animal models to elucidate the contribution of eukaryotic and microbiota-derived extracellular vesicles to disease progression.