Molecular and cellular therapies for motor neuron diseases / edited by Nicholas Boulis, Deirdre O'Connor, and Anthony Donsante.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

CONTENTS
1. Molecular and extracellular cues in motor neuron specification and differentiation / R.L. Swetenburg, S.L. Stice and L. Karumbaiah --
2. Natural history of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis / M.J. Magnussen and J.D. Glass --
3. Genetics of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis / K.P. Kenna, J.E. Landers and N. Ticozzi --
4. Molecular mechanisms of amytrophic lateral sclerosis / M. Collins and R. Bowser --
5. An introduction to natural history, genetic mapping, and clinical spectrum of spinal muscular atrophy / A. McDonough, L. Urquia and N. Boulis --
6. Genetics of spinal muscular atrophy / A.H.M. Burghes and V.L. McGovern --
7. Introduction to gene and stem-cell therapy / D.M. O'Connor --
8. Gene therapy for amytrophic lateral sclerosis / A. Dosante --
9. Stem cell therapy for amytrophic lateral sclerosis / K.S. Chen and E.L. Feldman --
10. Gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy / M.R. Miller, E.Y. Osman and C.L. Lorson --
11. Cellular therapy for spinal muscular atrophy / I. Faravelli and S. Corti --
12. Clinical trials to date / B.J. Mader and N. Boulis.

"Molecular and Cellular Therapies for Motor Neuron Diseases discusses the basics of the diseases, also covering advances in research and clinical trials. The book provides a resource for students that will help them learn the basics in a detailed manner that is required for scientists and clinicians. Users will find a comprehensive overview of the background of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS/Lou Gehrig's Disease) and Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), along with the current understanding of their genetics and mechanisms. In addition, the book details gene and cell therapies that have been developed and their translation to clinical trials"