SCI Consortium Study: 3D Printed Scaffolds for Primate Spinal Cord Injury Repair

项目摘要/摘要 退伍军人管理局为美国大约26%的脊髓损伤患者提供护理。治疗费用为6.5 比普通退伍军人的治疗费用高出几倍，以及促进退伍军人康复的有效疗法 神经功能缺失。我们的总体愿景是创造一种体外组织，可以取代 损伤脊髓，并能在甚至严重损伤的部位形成新的继电回路。我们的 用3D打印仿生支架进行的广泛的啮齿动物研究表明，这种方法可以导致 最严重的脊髓全横断后电生理和功能恢复 脊髓损伤的症状。 该项目旨在评估3D打印仿生支架的效果，该支架装载着人类神经 在长期临床相关的非人类灵长类动物模型中，亚急性植入祖细胞和 颈髓挫伤。 这个项目有两个目标： 1.解剖结果分析--生物相容性、整合性、降解性、血管化、 宿主轴突再生进入支架，神经前体细胞衍生的轴突从 将脚手架送入宿主体内。 2.功能结局分析。动物将在右手任务中进行功能评估 功能，包括Brinkman板、基于家庭笼子的机器人操作、前肢和后肢 在开阔的场地/练习场使用，感觉良好。 该奖项的成功完成将为支持未来的临床试验提供关键数据，并产生较高的 冲击力。

Project Summary/Abstract The VA provides care for approximately 26% of individuals with SCI in the U.S. Treatment costs are 6.5 times higher than the cost of treatment of an average Veteran, and effective therapies to promote recovery of neural function are lacking. Our overarching vision is to create an ex-vivo tissue that can replace the damaged spinal cord and enable formation of new relay circuits across sites of even severe injury. Our extensive rodent work with 3D printed biomimetic scaffolds shows that this approach can result in electrophysiological and functional recovery after complete spinal cord transection, the most severe model of spinal cord injury. This project aims to assess the efficacy of 3D printed biomimetic scaffolds, loaded with human neural progenitor cells and implanted sub-acutely, in a long-term clinically relevant, non-human primate model of cervical spinal cord contusion. There are 2 objectives to this project: 1. Analysis of anatomical outcomes - Biocompatibility, integration, degradation, vascularization, host axon regeneration into the scaffold, and neural progenitor cell-derived axon outgrowth from the scaffold into the host. 2. Analysis of functional outcomes. Animals will be functionally assessed on tasks of right-hand function, including Brinkman board, home cage-based robotic manipulation, forelimb and hindlimb use in an open field/exercise enclosure, and sensation. Successful completion of the award will provide key data to support future clinical trials, with resulting high impact.