Year 3

Transient spinal cord ischemia is a serious complication associated with aortic cross clamping, i.e., the procedure required to replace aortic aneurysm. The major neurological deficit resulting from spinal ischemic injury is the loss of motor function in lower extremities, also called paraplegia. The pathological mechanism leading to the loss of function is the result of progressive death of spinal cells (i.e., neurons) in the affected region of the spinal cord. At present there is no effective therapy for spinal ischemia-induced paraplegia.
In our previous completed studies, we have characterized the survival and neuronal maturation of human embryonic stem cell derived neural precursors analyzed at 2 weeks to 2 months after spinal transplantation in spinal ischemia-injured rats. A comparable survival and maturation was seen compared to fetal human spinal cord-derived cells. In our next studies, we will define the therapeutic potency of spinally grafted ES-NPCs once cells are grafted into the spinal cord of immunodeficient rats (i.e., animals which do not require immunosuppression) and the effect of cell grafting assessed for up to 4 months after cell transplantation. In subsequent studies, the degree of treatment effect will be studied in continuously immunosuppressed minpigs with previous spinal ischemic injury.