Optimisation of carrier materials for the delivery of olfactory ensheathing cells in spinal cord injury (360G-Wellcome-207257_Z_17_Z)

Transplant-mediated repair is a promising method in spinal cord injury (SCI) treatment. This involves transplanting therapeutic cells that promote nerve regeneration at the site of injury. For SCI, one promising therapeutic cell type is olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs). These have been shown to remyelinate demyelinated axons and promote new synapses following injury. They are also easily accessible clinically via trans-nasal endoscopic biopsy, and compelling pre-clinical evidence means that they are now close to being formally tested as part of a first-in-man clinical trial. However, currently these cells are delivered as a simple cell suspension, and this is unlikely to be optimal for creating a permissive and optimised repair environment. Thus, the objective of this project will be to develop and engineer optimised biomaterial scaffolds for OEC delivery. In doing so, it is hoped that a permissive 3D extracellular environment can be created, and the phenotype and behaviour of OECs optimised for spinal cord repair. Promising prospective biomaterials include fibrin, collagen and collagen-fibrin blends. To this end, we will investigate the effect of these promising carrier materials on OEC survival and phenotype, particularly with a focus on changes they may cause on 3D cell morphology.