Development of Combinatorial Therapeutics for Spinal Cord Injury using Stem Cell Delivery

This study focuses on creating a new way to treat spinal cord injuries by combining stem cells with a special gel. The gel is made from the material that's left after removing cells from spinal cords and sciatic nerves. The researchers made sure the gel was safe for cells and had the right structure to help stem cells grow. They tested different mixes of the gel to see which one worked best for growing stem cells in the lab. The goal is to use this gel to deliver stem cells to the injured spinal cord, helping it to heal. This approach could be better than using stem cells or gels alone because it addresses the complex problems that happen after a spinal cord injury.

• 1
  The decellularization process effectively removed cellular components from spinal cords and sciatic nerves while preserving the ECM structure.
• 2
  Composite hydrogels made from decellularized spinal cords and sciatic nerves supported the viability of human adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs) for up to 14 days in culture.
• 3
  Hydrogels with more sciatic nerve content reached the steady state faster, and sciatic nerve ECM may promote hydrogel assembly.