February 1, 2023
Keio University School of Medicine
A research group led by Professor Hideyuki Okano of the Department of Physiology, Professor Masaya Nakamura, Assistant Professor Shogo Hashimoto, and Senior Lecturer Norihito Nagoshi of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the Keio University School of Medicine has, for the first time in the world, successfully restored motor and urinary functions in chronic complete spinal cord injury, for which there has been no effective treatment, including in animal experiments. This was achieved by administering a collagen scaffold containing hepatocyte growth factor, followed by transplantation of human iPS cell-derived neural stem/progenitor cells, which improved the spinal cord microenvironment and constructed new neural circuits.
Previously, this research group reported the effectiveness of transplanting human iPS cell-derived neural stem/progenitor cells in improving motor function in animals with subacute incomplete spinal cord injury. This time, the group examined the effectiveness of the same transplantation therapy in rats with chronic complete spinal cord injury. Previous research findings indicated that in chronic complete spinal cord injury, various inhibitory factors for neural regeneration cause poor functional improvement with transplantation of human iPS cell-derived neural stem/progenitor cells alone. Therefore, to improve the spinal cord microenvironment, a collagen scaffold containing hepatocyte growth factor was administered to the injured site, followed by a delayed transplantation of human iPS cell-derived neural stem/progenitor cells. This successfully achieved functional recovery by improving the survival rate of the transplanted cells. The results of this study have revealed that the effect of cell transplantation therapy for chronic spinal cord injury is enhanced by improving the spinal cord microenvironment before transplantation. Based on these findings, it is expected that a treatment method for chronic complete spinal cord injury, which was previously considered difficult to recover from, will be established for future clinical application.
The results of this research were published in the online edition of Biomaterials on January 26, 2023 (UK time).
Please see below for the full press release.