Biomimetic hydrogels direct spinal progenitor cell differentiation and promote functional recovery after spinal cord injury

Demyelination that results from disease or traumatic injury, such as spinal cord injury (SCI), can have a devastating effect on neural function and recovery. Many researchers are examining treatments to minimize demyelination by improving oligodendrocyte availability in vivo. Here we introduce a biomaterial hydrogel delivery system to direct neural progenitor cell (NPC) differentiation specifically toward oligodendrocytes in the injury area to promote remyelination and functional recovery. We developed a biomaterial platform to direct the differentiation of NPCs toward oligodendrocytes using natural components present during development.

• 1
  Our results demonstrate that we can achieve a significant increase in oligodendrocyte differentiation of NPCs compared to standard culture conditions using a three- component biomaterial composed of collagen, hyaluronic acid, and laminin that has mechanical properties matched to those of neonatal neural tissue.
• 2
  Additionally, SCI rats with hydrogel transplants, with and without NPCs, showed functional recovery. Animals transplanted with hydrogels with NPCs showed significantly increased functional recovery over 6 weeks compared to the media control group.
• 3
  Lesion extent was assessed at two and six weeks post treatment. At two weeks post treatment, significant differences in tissue loss based on lesion extent were observed between the Col HA Lam with NPCs transplantation group and the media alone transplantation group