BACKGROUND AIMS: Combinatorial approaches employing diverse therapeutic modalities are required for clinically relevant repair of injured spinal cord in human patients. Before translation into the clinic, the feasibility and therapeutic potential of such combinatorial strategies in larger animal species need to be examined. METHODS: The present study tested the feasibility of implanting polymer scaffolds via neural stem cell (NSC) delivery in a canine spinal cord injury (SCI) model. The poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) scaffolds seeded with human NSC were implanted into hemisected canine spinal cord. RESULTS: The PLGA scaffolds bridged tissue defects and were nicely integrated with residual canine spinal cord tissue. Grafted NSC survived the implantation procedure and showed migratory behavior to residual spinal cord tissue. Ectopic expression of a therapeutic neurotrophin-3 gene was also possible in NSC seeded within the PLGA scaffolds. CONCLUSIONS: Our description of a canine SCI model would be a valuable resource for pre-clinical trials of combinatorial strategies in larger animal models.
BACKGROUND AIMS: Combinatorial approaches employing diverse therapeutic modalities are required for clinically relevant repair of injured spinal cord in humanpatients. Before translation into the clinic, the feasibility and therapeutic potential of such combinatorial strategies in larger animal species need to be examined. METHODS: The present study tested the feasibility of implanting polymer scaffolds via neural stem cell (NSC) delivery in a caninespinal cord injury (SCI) model. The poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) scaffolds seeded with human NSC were implanted into hemisected canine spinal cord. RESULTS: The PLGA scaffolds bridged tissue defects and were nicely integrated with residual canine spinal cord tissue. Grafted NSC survived the implantation procedure and showed migratory behavior to residual spinal cord tissue. Ectopic expression of a therapeutic neurotrophin-3 gene was also possible in NSC seeded within the PLGA scaffolds. CONCLUSIONS: Our description of a canine SCI model would be a valuable resource for pre-clinical trials of combinatorial strategies in larger animal models.
Authors: Barbara Gericota; Joseph S Anderson; Gaela Mitchell; Dori L Borjesson; Beverly K Sturges; Jan A Nolta; Maya Sieber-Blum Journal: Stem Cells Transl Med Date: 2014-01-17 Impact factor: 6.940
Authors: Jared T Wilcox; Jonathan K Y Lai; Esther Semple; Brigitte A Brisson; Cathy Gartley; John N Armstrong; Dean H Betts Journal: PLoS One Date: 2011-05-17 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: Barbara G McMahill; Dori L Borjesson; Maya Sieber-Blum; Jan A Nolta; Beverly K Sturges Journal: Stem Cell Rev Rep Date: 2015-02 Impact factor: 5.739