Balance is everything – an update from Griffith University

The Spinal Injury Project team at Clem Jones Centre for Neuroscience and Stem Cell Research at Griffith University, Queensland, Australia, has recently developed a novel multicellular nerve bridge for the treatment of spinal cord injuries. The nerve bridges are an improvement on a platform previously developed by the team to generate small three-dimensional aggregates of glial cells. Glial cells are cells that provide support for neurons (nerve cells) and they are essential for aiding regeneration of the injured spinal cord.  Transplanting glial cells will help replace the lost cells and lead to the development of a bridge across the injury site to allow the neurons to grow across and make new connections. Improved outcomes can be achieved if the glial cells are transplanted in a three-dimensional format as this will lead to better cell survival and integration. The glial cells of particular interest are olfactory ensheathing cells, which can be easily harvested from the nose. These cells have strong regenerative capacity and have been shown to be effective in repairing the spinal cord. However, glial cells do not act alone and the team has now determined that combining olfactory ensheathing cells with fibroblasts improves the formation of the nerve bridges. Currently the team is focused on refining the procedure for producing the bridges and validating their potential for promoting nerve regeneration. One of our PhD students Mo Chen has successfully piloted this method with glial cells harvested from both rodents and humans. Dr Aaron Gilmour has working with Mo to further improve the nerve bridge production by increasing the complexity of the cell combinations and changing the dimensions of the nerve bridges. Looking to the future of this project, the team is focusing on validation of the nerve bridge with a range of laboratory tests, whilst simultaneously developing the required surgical methods for translation of this device into the patient. More information about the Spinal Injury Project can be found here: www.sipishope.com