Neural Stem and Progenitor Cell Transplantation: Preclinical Studies Informing Therapeutic Mechanisms

Abstract

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating event that typically results in permanent loss of neurological function. A promising therapeutic strategy to regenerate lost spinal cord tissue and restore neurological function after injury is transplantation of neural progenitor cells (NPCs). Although NPC transplantation is currently being evaluated in SCI clinical trials, there are many fundamental biological questions about mechanisms of therapeutic efficacy that still must be addressed. The Dulin lab has investigated the role of factors including biological sex, regional identity, developmental stage, and cell type specificity in NPC transplantation. In this talk, I will summarize the knowledge that we have gained in the last five years and highlight how our work has advanced understanding of how engrafted neurons interact with the injured host nervous system.