Cell therapy for spinal cord regeneration

Abstract

This review presents a summary of the various types of cellular therapy used to treat spinal cord injury. The inhibitory environment and loss of axonal connections after spinal cord injury pose many obstacles to regenerating the lost tissue. Cellular therapy provides a means of restoring the cells lost to the injury and could potentially promote functional recovery after such injuries. A wide range of cell types have been investigated for such uses and the advantages and disadvantages of each cell type are discussed along with the research studying each cell type. Additionally, methods of delivering cells to the injury site are evaluated. Based on the current research, suggestions are given for future investigation of cellular therapies for spinal cord regeneration.

Figure 1

Comparison of the Uninjured and Injured Spinal Cord. A) Diagram showing uninjured spinal cord containing both ascending and descending tracts of myelinated neurons. B) Diagram showing the injured spinal cord and glial scar along with potential mechanisms of repair through the use of neural stem cell therapy. Reproduced from reference [124], Copyright 2007, Natalia Abramova Lowry and Sally Temple.

Figure 2

Biomaterial Scaffolds Seeded with Neural Stem Cells for the Repair of Spinal Cord Injury. A) Schematic of the conduit consisted of inner and outer layers. The inner layer consisted of a porous polymer meant to imitate grey matter while the outer layer emulated the properties exhibited by the white matter with long, axially oriented pores. B) Inner layer of scaffold seeded with NSCs. Scale bar: 200 μM. C) More detailed look at NSCs seeded in the inner layer of scaffold. Scale bar: 50 μM. D) Axially oriented pores found in the outer layer of scaffold. Scale bar: 100 μM. E) Diagram of injury site and placement of scaffold after implantation. Reproduced from reference [25], Copyright 2002, National Academy of Sciences, U.S.A.