• Microgravity Increases Therapeutic Efficacy of Three-dimensional Cultured Neural Stem Cells in Repairing Spinal Cord Injury

    TIME: 24 Jan 2022
    Research published on Biomaterials Science, led by Prof. DAI Jianwu from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, indicated the feasibility of combining the RCCS (Rotary Cell Culture System) with collagen scaffold-based 3-D cell culture for producing tissue engineering seed cells in the treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI).
    How to use microgravity in tissue engineering field had drawn much attention. In this study 3-D cells cultured in RCCS were implanted in SCI animal models to investigate whether microgravity can be applied in stem cell-based therapy for SCI. The RCCS bioreactor was designed by NASA and mimics the microgravity in space.  
    The immunofluorescence staining analysis indicated that there were more surviving transplanted cells and functional neurons at the injury site in RCCS group. Meanwhile, the transplantation of 3-D cells in RCCS can relieve inflammation and the formation of scar at the injury site. The Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan score, inclined plane test, and electrophysiology, indicated that 3-D cultured NSCs cultured in RCCS had better therapeutic effects than those cultured in a traditional cell culture environment.
    The combination of RCCS and 3-D cell culture method shows promise for application in cell-based therapy for SCI in the future.
    This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

    Schematic diagram of the 3D-cultured NSCs from RCCS or traditional static environment was implanted at the injury site in spinal cord injury animals. (Image by IGDB)
     
    Contact:
    Prof. DAI Jianwu
    Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences