Meet the editors

Dr. Sarat Chandra Yenisetti is a professor in the Department of Zoology, Nagaland University (A Central University), India. He received post-doctoral training in neurogenetics from the National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA, and the University of Regensburg, Germany. Dr. Yenisetti's *Drosophila* Neurobiology Laboratory (DNBL) follows *Drosophila*

approaches to understand dopaminergic neurodegeneration and identify therapeutic targets for neuroprotection, knowledge of which will help to reduce the burden of Parkinson's disease (PD) in humans. His laboratory developed adultlife, phase-specific *Drosophila* models of PD and demonstrated their importance in understanding the pathophysiology of late-onset neurodegenerative disease (NDD). It also further proved that deciphering the age-mediated regulation of brain-specific molecular networks is essential to screen small molecules/nutraceuticals/drugs with potential neuroprotective efficacy and develop/modulate the therapeutic approaches for late-onset NDDs such as PD.

Dr. Zevelou Koza obtained doctoral training from the Drosophila Neurobiology Laboratory (DNBL), Nagaland University, India, and is currently an assistant professor at Patkai Christian College, India. She follows *Drosophila* approaches to understand the sexual dysfunction in Parkinson's disease.

Dr. Devendra Kumar is an assistant professor in the School of Pharmacy and Technology Management. He obtained his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Banaras Hindu University (BHU), and completed his postdoctoral research at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, USA, in 2021. His research interests include the design, devolvement, and biological

screening of small molecules, metal complexes, and peptides for the management of Alzheimer's disease, Fragile X syndrome (FXS), and tuberculosis. Dr. Kumar worked on Alzheimer's disease and developed CNS-active small molecules such as acetylcholine, butylcholinesterase, beta-secretase 1, matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9 inhibitors, and NMDA receptor antagonists. Along with drug discovery, Dr. Kumar is also working on the pathophysiology of FXS. His work on FXS includes the identification of spine abnormalities and the role of microglia. His focus is the study of microglia–neuron communication in genetically modified animals. He is also working on gene editing tools using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) technology and the development of blood–brain barrier-penetrating polymers as the delivery vehicle for CRISPR molecules.

Dr. Kumar Singh is an eminent scientist and teacher in the field of neurodegenerative disorders. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) and has authored more than 200 international and national research and review papers. His main research interest is drug development for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. He was the principal investigator in the development of bioactive molecules as therapeutic agents for Alzheimer's disease and screening

their toxicity at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Banaras Hindu University (BHU), as well as the principal investigator in the design and synthesis of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-2 and -9) inhibitors as therapeutic agents for Alzheimer's disease at the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India.

Dr. Ankit Ganeshpurkar's primary goal is to establish a distinct presence in the realm of medicinal chemistry and drug design research, with a specific focus on harnessing computational tools and artificial intelligence to advance the processes of lead discovery and optimization. His research is centered around in silico drug design, lead identification, and optimization. Additionally, his work encompasses the design, synthesis, and thorough biological assessment of

novel leads tailored to address diverse pathophysiological conditions, including but not limited to Alzheimer's disease and various neurodegenerative disorders.

## Contents



Preface

Parkinson's disease (PD) has been known to humankind since 5000 BC. In ancient Indian civilization, it was known as Kampavata, a condition with symptoms that closely resembled those of modern-day PD, i.e., karpadatale kampa (tremor in the hands and legs), nidrabhanga (sleep disturbances), and kshinmati (slowness of utterance and thought). In modern times, despite being described about 200 years ago, PD is not thoroughly understood due to its complex etiology and heterogeneity in terms of symptoms and progression. Though there are medications and therapies available to manage the symptoms of PD, there is no cure, which provides an

Animal models are precious tools for understanding pathophysiology and unraveling the molecular basis of neuronal degeneration, knowledge of which is immensely useful to screen potential neuroprotective molecules and decipher their mechanism of action. It is important to take advantage of the knowledge generated by biomedical researchers to develop novel therapeutic strategies that should be taken and tested

The real test lies in connecting all these dots meaningfully and developing a reasonable cure for this neurodegenerative disorder. Thinking in this direction is the genesis for our book, *Parkinson's Disease – Animal Models, Current Therapies and Clinical Trials*. The book examines various topics related to PD, making it a useful resource for basic

I wish to thank all the authors for their valuable contributions. I also wish to acknowledge the staff at IntechOpen, especially Publishing Process Manager Paula Gavran for her support. Thanks go to the publisher for giving me this opportunity to broaden

I sincerely believe this book will help move us one step closer to reducing the burden

**Dr. Sarat Chandra Yenisetti, Ph.D.**

Drosophila Neurobiology Laboratory,

Department of Zoology, Nagaland University (Central), Lumami, Nagaland, India

Professor,

biomedical researchers, clinicians, technocrats, and science enthusiasts.

the horizon of my understanding and sharpen my perceptions of PD.

opportunity for neurobiologists.

through multiple levels of clinical trials.

of neurological disease.
