Hughes E, Lucke-Wold B. Letter to the Editor: Exercise and induced pluripotent stem cells for Parkinson’s disease. World J Stem Cells 2026; 18(5): 115788 [DOI: 10.4252/wjsc.v18.i5.115788]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Brandon Lucke-Wold, Lillian S Wells Department of Neurosurgery, University of Florida, 1505 SW Archer Road, Gainesville, FL 32608, United States. brandon.lucke-wold@neurosurgery.ufl.edu
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Neurosciences
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Correspondence
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Hughes E, Lucke-Wold B. Letter to the Editor: Exercise and induced pluripotent stem cells for Parkinson’s disease. World J Stem Cells 2026; 18(5): 115788 [DOI: 10.4252/wjsc.v18.i5.115788]
World J Stem Cells. May 26, 2026; 18(5): 115788 Published online May 26, 2026. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v18.i5.115788
Letter to the Editor: Exercise and induced pluripotent stem cells for Parkinson’s disease
Emma Hughes, Brandon Lucke-Wold
Emma Hughes, College of Medicine, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32304, United States
Brandon Lucke-Wold, Lillian S Wells Department of Neurosurgery, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32608, United States
Author contributions: Hughes E and Lucke-Wold B contributed to the manuscript writing and editing, and literature review; Lucke-Wold B contributed to the format, outline, and concept of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Brandon Lucke-Wold, Lillian S Wells Department of Neurosurgery, University of Florida, 1505 SW Archer Road, Gainesville, FL 32608, United States. brandon.lucke-wold@neurosurgery.ufl.edu
Received: October 27, 2025 Revised: December 1, 2025 Accepted: January 12, 2026 Published online: May 26, 2026 Processing time: 212 Days and 9.2 Hours
Abstract
In this letter, we comment on the study by Jiang et al published in the recent issue of the World Journal of Stem Cells, which explores a combined therapeutic approach of exercise with induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) for Parkinson’s disease (PD) using a mouse model. Currently, PD is primarily treated symptomatically as there are no treatment options available to prevent or cure it. While previous studies have examined exercise and iPSCs individually for PD, there is limited research on using them concurrently. Jiang et al aimed to evaluate this combined treatment method and investigate the underlying mechanisms. The results of this study indicate a synergistic relationship between exercise and iPSCs, demonstrating improved motor symptoms, and notably, elevated levels of proteins thought to be significant factors in the differentiation of dopaminergic neurons. This emphasizes that more research is needed to critically evaluate the underlying mechanisms of PD and neuronal differentiation in the hopes of developing effective and sustainable treatment options.
Core Tip: This letter to the editor discusses the recent study by Jiang et al on induced pluripotent stem cells and exercise for Parkinson’s disease. Treatment with induced pluripotent stem cells provides a promising option for Parkinson’s disease patients by replacing lost dopaminergic neurons, while exercise alone has been shown to improve outcomes in these patients. A combination of these therapies has shown a potentially synergistic effect by activating the Wnt1-Lmx1a loop in a mouse model.
