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SUMMARY:Spinal cord repair: mechanisms gleaned from stem cell-based multim
 odal studies - Yang D. Teng\, MD\, PhD\, Departments of Neurosurgery and P
 hysical Medicine &amp\; Rehabilitation\, Harvard Medical School\, and Divi
 sion of SCI Research\, VA Boston Healthcare System\, Boston\, MA\, USA
DTSTART:20110119T163000Z
DTEND:20110119T173000Z
UID:TALK29108@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Shannon Tinley-Browne
DESCRIPTION:It was initially hypothesized that the biology of neural stem 
 cells (NSCs) makes them ideally and uniquely suited to reconstructing the 
 damaged central nervous system (CNS) through cell replacement. Emerging ev
 idence\, however\, increasingly suggests that NSCs may repair the CNS thro
 ugh multimechanistic strategies that are often concurrent. They may serve 
 not only as tissue engineering mediators of cellular reconstitution\, but 
 also as vectors for the delivery of molecules. Buoyed by tangible results 
 derived from a recent study in which retrievable drug-releasing polymer se
 eded with human NSCs (hNSCs) was applied for both investigative and therap
 eutic purposes\, I propose to discuss that how a polymer based retrievable
  implant containing hNSCs may hold significant promise for providing a bro
 ad range of insight regarding essential neurological mechanisms required f
 or repairing the adult mammalian spinal cord after injury. I will present 
 data elucidating molecular events underlying rapid loss of donor cells in 
 acutely injured spinal cord\, and counteracting strategies proved effectiv
 e in a rat model of dual penetrating SCI using a retrievable design of pol
 y-lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) scaffold seeded with hNSCs that was shiel
 ded by drug-releasing polymer. Additionally\, data obtained by adopting si
 milar approaches will be analyzed for understanding the critical role of d
 istal spinal cord adaptation in the processes of invoking neuroplasticity 
 and rehabilitation post SCI. Our findings may provide a bioengineering app
 roach integrated with stem cell biology for investigating mechanisms media
 ting the host microenvironment and donor NSC interaction and help formulat
 e therapeutic tactics for enhancing clinically meaningful functional resto
 ration following SCI. 
LOCATION:Brain Repair Centre\, Forvie Site\, Robinson Way
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