Bridges delivering neurotrophin encoding lentivirus enhance regeneration following spinal cord injury

This study explores a new way to treat spinal cord injuries by combining a physical support structure with gene therapy. The support, called a bridge, helps stabilize the injury and guide the growth of nerve fibers. The researchers loaded these bridges with lentivirus that can deliver genes encoding for neurotrophic factors (NT3 or BDNF). These factors are known to help nerve cells survive and grow. The results showed that this combined approach significantly increased the growth of nerve fibers into the bridge and promoted the formation of myelin, a protective coating around nerve fibers, leading to enhance axonal growth and promote regeneration.

• 1
  Lentivirus-loaded bridges resulted in localized protein expression within the injury site, with lower expression in adjacent tissue, with expression maximal at the implantation site.
• 2
  The lentivirus transduced macrophages, Schwann cells, fibroblasts, and astrocytes, demonstrating successful gene delivery to relevant cell types.
• 3
  Delivery of lentivirus encoding NT3 or BDNF significantly increased the number of axons growing into the bridge and enhanced myelination.