Project 467235

Spinal cord injury is an extremely debilitating condition with a complex pathology and no cure. The main obstacles to spinal cord regeneration appear to be poor intrinsic capacity for regrowth in the central nervous system and environmental inhibitors, which hinder recovery by creating a toxic, inflammatory microenvironment surrounding the injury. Spinal cord contusion injury is characterized by partial crushing of the cord with some tissue being spared, although further damage is incurred as the injury progresses. Inflammation, excitotoxicity, and reactive astrogliosis in subsequent weeks ultimately lead to the death of surrounding tissue, which generates an expanding cavity. To restore the integrity of damaged neural tissue in the spinal cord, wehave developed a combinatorial therapeutic strategy which incorporates plant-derived biomaterialsand environmental enrichment. This therapeutic approach is expected to support regeneration of the spinal cord by providing a physical scaffolding to guide new axons. Rats will be subjected to a spinal contusion injury at thoracic vertebra level 8. After injection of the biomaterial into the injury, recovery of sensory and motor function in rats will be evaluated via multiple tests.This research may potentially be translated into human clinical research and, given the significant long-term burden of SCI for patients and healthcare systems, it is critically important to the wellbeing of Canadians.