Spinal Cord Injury Program

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating condition that impacts young and old people alike. SCI is complex and multifaceted with three major obstacles to therapy: loss of neurons, production of an impenetrable glial scar, and loss of key insulating cells called oligodendrocytes. Stem cells overcome these problems and are able to carry out repair and regeneration in many animals, but in mammals, like mice or humans, resident stem cells are inhibited and remain dormant after injury. Researchers have found that injecting new stem cell-derived cells into injured spinal cord produces positive results in animal models.  Beyond such replacement therapy, it may be possible to activate the dormant, resident stem or progenitor cells within the spinal cord to stimulate natural repair.

NSCI research has shown that small biodegradable beads that release cell activating factors can stimulate resident stem/progenitor cells to mediate repair and regeneration, and partially reverse paralysis in animal models. These is a novel bioengineered reagent that may be used to reawaken endogenous stem cells from dormancy and instruct them to promote repair and regeneration. NSCI is poised to move this exciting finding from laboratory mice towards the clinic.