Stem cell therapy using neural progenitor stem cells (NPSCs) is a promising strategy for treating damaged nerve fibers in patients with spinal cord injuries (SCIs). The injected NPSCs can differentiate into functional oligodendrocytes, neurons and astrocytes, repopulate sites of spinal cord injury and promote endogenous repair. Treatment of SCIs with NPSCs is limited, however, by poor survival and uncontrolled differentiation of the transplanted cells. A recent study published in Biomaterials by McEwen Centre Researcher Dr. Molly Shoichet offers a new method for delivering therapeutic stem cells to sites of SCI using a biodegradable injectable hydrogel.

The study used a chemically modified injectable hyaluronan-based hydrogel formulated with recombinant platelet-derived growth factor (HAMC rPDGF) to deliver therapeutic NPSCs in hopes of achieving better NPSC survival. Use of the soluble HAMC rPDGF for cell delivery not only increased the survival of NPSCs in vivo, it also enhanced the differentiation of the grafted cells into oligodendrocytes and improved motor function in rats with spinal cord injuries when compared to animals that received NPSCs in media. Interestingly, the transplanted stem cells did not differentiate as well in vivo as they did in vitro, suggesting that using differentiated cells such as oligodendrocyte progenitors or mature oligodendrocytes might be a more effective approach for treating SCI.

The results from this study demonstrate that a HAMC hydrogel formulated with PDGF can be an effective cell delivery system for SCI repair and brings stem cell researchers one step closer to the development of effective treatments for SCIs.

Repair of the injured spinal cord by transplantation of neural stem cells in a hyaluronan-based hydrogel. Mothe AJ, Tam RY, Zahir T, Tator CH, Shoichet MS. Biomaterials. 2013 Feb 25. [Abstract]

A Japanese research group, led by Dr. M. Takahashi, has been granted conditional approval for a clinical trial that will use induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to treat age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Patients with AMD have impaired vision due to retinal damage that is sometimes accompanied by abnormally leaky blood vessels in tissue below the retina. The team plans to surgically remove faulty blood vessels and replace damaged retinal epithelial cells with the patient’s own iPSC-derived epithelial cells. The trial will help determine the safety of the procedure in treating AMD. For more information on these trials, click here.

Registration is now open for Canada’s leading forum for stem cell research and regenerative medicine. This year’s conference will be held in Banff, Alberta and will feature presentations from several McEwen Centre Researchers including Drs. Freda Miller, Andras Nagy and Peter Zandstra. For more details visit the conference website.

Each year the McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine recognizes a stem cell researcher whose original contributions and innovative research have opened new avenues of scientific discovery. This year’s award will be presented to Dr. James Thomson from the University of California, Santa Barbara for his contributions towards the development of the first human embryonic cell lines and human induced pluripotent stem cells. The award will be presented on June 12th at the annual ISSCR meeting in Boston. To obtain more information on the conference, click here.

Congratulations to Dr. Freda Miller on receiving an operating grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research for her project titled, “Developmental dysgenesis of the mammalian brain: underlying mechanisms.”

The next Ontario Stem Cells Initiative (OSCI) Translation Talks seminar will feature McEwen Centre Director Dr. Gordon Keller, who will speak about his findings on the generation of cardiomyocytes from pluripotent stem cells. Dr. Terrence Yau (Surgical Director, Cardiac Stem Cell Therapy Program, UHN) will then give a presentation on the cardiac stem cell transplantation program at UHN’s Peter Munk Cardiac Centre. The seminar will take place on Thursday, April 4 at 9:15am in the Red Seminar Room (2nd Floor), Donnelly Centre, 160 College Street. A link to the webcast can be found here.