Spinal cord repair: From cells and tissue engineering to extracellular vesicles

Shaowei Guo, Idan Redenski, Shulamit Levenberg

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

Abstract

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a debilitating condition, often leading to severe motor, sensory, or autonomic nervous dysfunction. As the holy grail of regenerative medicine, promoting spinal cord tissue regeneration and functional recovery are the fundamental goals. Yet, effective regeneration of injured spinal cord tissues and promotion of functional recovery remain unmet clinical challenges, largely due to the complex pathophysiology of the condition. The transplantation of various cells, either alone or in combination with three-dimensional matrices, has been intensively investigated in preclinical SCI models and clinical trials, holding translational promise. More recently, a new paradigm shift has emerged from cell therapy towards extracellular vesicles as an exciting “cell-free” therapeutic modality. The current review recapitulates recent advances, challenges, and future perspectives of cell-based spinal cord tissue engineering and regeneration strategies.

Original languageEnglish
Article number1872
JournalCells
Volume10
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2021

Keywords

  • Cells
  • Exosomes
  • Extracellular vesicles
  • Functional recovery
  • Scaffolds
  • Spinal cord injury
  • Tissue engineering

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Biochemistry,Genetics and Molecular Biology

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