Stem-cell based therapies: potential of human drNPCs transplants as treatment for spinal cord injury

Currently no regenerative therapy exists for spinal cord injury. This project aims to optimize and generate the ideal cell type for stem cells to be used to treat cervical spinal cord injury. It aims to do so by testing the transplantation potential of different derivatives of the cells responsible for formation of neurons and other supporting cells within the spinal cord and central nervous system the neural precursor cells (NPCs). The study will be performed on rodents and will simultaneously optimize the most suitable method to deliver the cells to the site of injury. Successful completion of this project hopes to give way to phase I/II clinical trials. It would represent the first to market stem cell treatment for SCI and would result in access to treatment for the nearly 2000 Canadians per year who experience a traumatic spinal cord injury.

Faculty Supervisor:

Michael Fehlings

Student:

Fatima Hasan

Partner:

Fortuna Fix

Discipline:

Medicine

Sector:

Medical devices

University:

Program: