Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects over one million people in the United States and around five million people worldwide. It is one of the most common neurodegenerative disorders second in frequency only to Alzheimer's disease. At this time there are no effective therapies available for preventing or slowing disease; only methods for reducing symptoms exist. To combat this problem, researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical center have developed a novel vaccine strategy capable of slowing disease progression. The vaccine strategy combines an antigen such as N-alpha-Syn and an adjuvant capable of stimulating regulatory T cells such as vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP). Immunization with N-alpha-Syn alone, induces a profound effector T cell response which exacerbates neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. However, the combination of N-alpha-syn and VIP promotes a regulatory adaptive immune response that prevents further neuronal damage resulting in neuroprotection. Adoptive transfer of N-alpha-Syn and VIP activated immunocytes into the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) induced Parkinson's mouse model, has shown strong efficacy increasing dopaminergic neuron survival by 91%. This novel combination of N-alpha-Syn and VIP creates a highly effective vaccination strategy for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.