Scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have created a set of gene delivery systems that can reach different neural cell types in the human brain and spinal cord.

The new gene delivery tools can target key brain cell types, including excitatory neurons, inhibitory interneurons, striatal and cortical subtypes, brain blood vessel cells, and hard-to-reach neurons in the spinal cord. These could eventually be used to develop therapies for several diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and spinal muscular atrophy, as well as seizure disorders, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and Huntington’s disease and neuropsychiatric conditions.

“With these delivery systems, we can now access and manipulate specific cells in the brain and spinal cord — access that was

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