Advances in regenerative therapies for spinal cord injury: a biomaterials approach

Neural Regeneration Research, 2015 · DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.156966 · Published: May 1, 2015

Spinal Cord Injury Regenerative Medicine Biomedical

Simple Explanation

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a highly debilitating disorder with no effective therapeutic plan until now. Regardless of the extensive research conducted nowadays, it still remains one of the most daunting challenges in all neuroscience research. Due to the development of novel cell-based and scaffold-based treatment strategies with the advances of neural tissue engineering, there are now some promising results that raise hope for the treatment of SCI in the future. The aim of the current review is to summarize all the current therapeutic options for SCI and brief the scientists for novel emerging therapies of great potential that could soon be applied to the clinic.

Study Duration

Not specified

Participants

Not specified

Evidence Level

Review

Key Findings

1
Cell-based therapies aim at facilitating neuroregeneration, either directly via having the cells to replace and/or repair the damaged cells themselves or indirectly via secreting factors, which alter the environment, thereafter making it more conductive for regeneration.
2
Scaffold-based strategies have established a very attractive alternative for neuroregeneration after SCI. Scaffolds are, by definition, temporary supporting structures for growing cells and tissues
3
A combinatorial therapeutic approach will be the one that will probably provide the conclusive solution to the complex problem of SCI repair.

Research Summary

Spinal cord injury results in the permanent loss of function, causing enormous personal, social and economic problems. Even though neural regeneration has been proven to be a natural mechanism, central nervous system repair mechanisms are ineffective due to the imbalance of the inhibitory and excitatory factors implicated in neuroregeneration. Here we review the recent advances on regenerative/neural engineering therapies for spinal cord injury, aiming at providing an insight to the most promising repair strategies, in order to facilitate future research conduction.

Practical Implications

Cell-based Therapies Development

Further research and optimization of cell-based therapies are crucial to overcome challenges such as poor cell survival and uncontrolled differentiation in the inhospitable environment of the injured spinal cord.

Biomaterials Design and Application

Advancements in biomaterials that mimic the natural stem cell niche are essential for effectively supporting cell growth and providing structural support, potentially leading to significant improvements in neuroregeneration for SCI.

Combination Therapeutic Strategies

A combinatorial approach, integrating structural support, trophic microenvironments, and biomolecule/cell delivery strategies, holds the most promise for achieving effective neuroregeneration and functional improvement in SCI patients.

Study Limitations

1
Limited clinical efficacy of stem cell transplantation techniques primarily due to the inhospitable environment at and around the injury site.
2
Low permeability of the blood-brain barrier and blood-spinal cord barrier limits diffusion of the molecules; therefore, conventional delivery strategies require high systemic doses of the growth factors in order to achieve a therapeutic concentration at the injury site, resulting in systemic cytotoxicity.
3
The short half-life of the enzyme remains an obstacle, which needs to be addressed

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