Stem Cell Therapy for Spinal Cord Injury

Neurotrauma ◽  
2018 ◽  
pp. 431-444
Author(s):  
Ping Wu ◽  
Mingliang Yang ◽  
Yan Hao ◽  
Shiqing Feng ◽  
Jianjun Li

Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI), a devastating disorder that severely affects the quality of life in patients, currently lacks effective therapies. Stem cell research offers a promising option to facilitate spinal cord repair. This chapter provides an overview of the major types of stem cells being used in preclinical animal studies and clinical trials to treat SCI, including mesenchymal, neural, hematopoietic, embryonic, and induced pluripotent stem cells. The authors summarize the beneficial effects of stem cells as a potential new therapeutic approach, but also raise the concerns of the limitation and challenges the field is facing, and suggest future directions.

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 3214
Author(s):  
Krisztián Pajer ◽  
Tamás Bellák ◽  
Antal Nógrádi

Hundreds of thousands of people suffer spinal cord injuries each year. The experimental application of stem cells following spinal cord injury has opened a new era to promote neuroprotection and neuroregeneration of damaged tissue. Currently, there is great interest in the intravenous administration of the secretome produced by mesenchymal stem cells in acute or subacute spinal cord injuries. However, it is important to highlight that undifferentiated neural stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells are able to adapt to the damaged environment and produce the so-called lesion-induced secretome. This review article focuses on current research related to the secretome and the lesion-induced secretome and their roles in modulating spinal cord injury symptoms and functional recovery, emphasizing different compositions of the lesion-induced secretome in various models of spinal cord injury.


2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 582-593 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koichi Hayashi ◽  
Masayuki Hashimoto ◽  
Masao Koda ◽  
Atsuhiko T. Naito ◽  
Atsushi Murata ◽  
...  

Object Clinical use of autologous induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) could circumvent immune rejection and bioethical issues associated with embryonic stem cells. Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating trauma with long-lasting disability, and current therapeutic approaches are not satisfactory. In the present study, the authors used the neural stem sphere (NSS) method to differentiate iPSCs into astrocytes, which were evaluated after their transplantation into injured rat spinal cords. Methods Induced pluripotent stem cell–derived astrocytes were differentiated using the NSS method and injected 3 and 7 days after spinal contusion–based SCI. Control rats were injected with DMEM in the same manner. Locomotor recovery was assessed for 8 weeks, and sensory and locomotion tests were evaluated at 8 weeks. Immunohistological parameters were then assessed. Results Transplant recipients lived for 8 weeks without tumor formation. Transplanted cells stretched their processes along the longitudinal axis, but they did not merge with the processes of host GFAP-positive astrocytes. Locomotion was assessed in 3 ways, but none of the tests detected statistically significant improvements compared with DMEM-treated control rats after 8 weeks. Rather, iPSC transplantation caused even greater sensitivity to mechanical stimulus than DMEM treatment. Conclusions Astrocytes can be generated by serum treatment of NSS-generated cells derived from iPSCs. However, transplantation of such cells is poorly suited for repairing SCI.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 321-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhe Gong ◽  
Kaishun Xia ◽  
Ankai Xu ◽  
Chao Yu ◽  
Chenggui Wang ◽  
...  

Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) causes irreversible functional loss of the affected population. The incidence of SCI keeps increasing, resulting in huge burden on the society. The pathogenesis of SCI involves neuron death and exotic reaction, which could impede neuron regeneration. In clinic, the limited regenerative capacity of endogenous cells after SCI is a major problem. Recent studies have demonstrated that a variety of stem cells such as induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs), Embryonic Stem Cells (ESCs), Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) and Neural Progenitor Cells (NPCs) /Neural Stem Cells (NSCs) have therapeutic potential for SCI. However, the efficacy and safety of these stem cellbased therapy for SCI remain controversial. In this review, we introduce the pathogenesis of SCI, summarize the current status of the application of these stem cells in SCI repair, and discuss possible mechanisms responsible for functional recovery of SCI after stem cell transplantation. Finally, we highlight several areas for further exploitation of stem cells as a promising regenerative therapy of SCI.


2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Narihito Nagoshi ◽  
Hideyuki Okano ◽  
Masaya Nakamura

Abstract Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating event that causes permanent neurologic impairments. Cell transplantation therapy using neural precursor cells (NPCs) is a promising intervention aiming to replace damaged neural tissue and restore certain functions. Because the protocol to produce human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) was first established, we have attempted to apply this technology for regenerative therapy in SCI. Our group reported beneficial effects of iPSC-derived NPC transplantation and addressed safety issues on tumorigenicity after grafting. These findings will soon be tested at the clinical trial stage, the protocol of which has already been approved by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in Japan. Current transplantation therapies treat patients at the subacute phase after injury, highlighting the need for effective treatments for chronic SCI. We recently demonstrated the modest efficacy of gamma secretase inhibitor treatment of iPSC-NPCs before transplantation at the chronic phase. However, more comprehensive strategies involving combinatory therapies are essential to enhance current spinal cord regeneration treatments.


2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 268-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed A. Toreih ◽  
Asser A. Sallam ◽  
Cherif M. Ibrahim ◽  
Ahmed I. Maaty ◽  
Mohsen M. Hassan

OBJECTIVESpinal cord injury (SCI) has been investigated in various animal studies. One promising therapeutic approach involves the transfer of peripheral nerves originating above the level of injury into those originating below the level of injury. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the feasibility of nerve transfers for reinnervation of lower limbs in patients suffering SCI to restore some hip and knee functions, enabling them to independently stand or even step forward with assistive devices and thus improve their quality of life.METHODSThe feasibility of transferring intercostal to gluteal nerves and the ilioinguinal and iliohypogastric nerves to femoral nerves was assessed in 5 cadavers. Then, lumbar cord hemitransection was performed below L1 in 20 dogs, followed by transfer of the 10th, 11th, and 12th intercostal and subcostal nerves to gluteal nerves and the ilioinguinal and iliohypogastric nerves to the femoral nerve in only 10 dogs (NT group). At 6 months, clinical and electrophysiological evaluations of the recipient nerves and their motor targets were performed.RESULTSThe donor nerves had sufficient length to reach the recipient nerves in a tension-free manner. At 6 months postoperatively, the mean conduction velocity of gluteal and femoral nerves, respectively, increased to 96.1% and 92.8% of the velocity in controls, and there was significant motor recovery of the quadriceps femoris and glutei.CONCLUSIONSIntercostal, ilioinguinal, and iliohypogastric nerves are suitable donors to transfer to the gluteal and femoral nerves after SCI to restore some hip and knee motor functions.


2005 ◽  
Vol 27 (8) ◽  
pp. 812-819 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hajime Kimura ◽  
Masahide Yoshikawa ◽  
Ryousuke Matsuda ◽  
Hayato Toriumi ◽  
Fumihiko Nishimura ◽  
...  

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