Evanston, Ill.-based Northwestern University scientists have created the most advanced human spinal cord injury organoid model to date, enabling researchers to test regenerative therapies in lab-grown tissue, according to a study published Feb. 11 in Nature Biomedical Engineering.
The team used spinal cord organoids to replicate key effects of spinal cord injury, including cell death, inflammation and glial scarring, and tested a regenerative therapy known as “dancing molecules.” The treatment promoted neurite outgrowth and reduced glial scar tissue in injured organoids, mirroring previous results in animal models, according to a Feb. 11 news release from the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University.
The findings validate the therapy’s potential for human application, researchers said. The therapy, which recently received orphan drug designation from the FDA, is part of a broader platform of supramolecular peptide technologies being developed at Northwestern’s Center for Regenerative Nanomedicine.
