Neural stem cells for spinal cord injury

Neural stem cells (NSCs) are potentially attractive cell sources for reconstruction of injured spinal cord circuits. Recent studies demonstrate that NSCs can survive grafting into sites of severe spinal cord injury (SCI) and extend very large numbers of axons over substantial distances, forming synapses with host neurons below sites of injury. Reciprocally, host axons regenerate into the stem cell grafts and form synapses. New synaptic relays are thereby formed across the lesion site, improving functional outcomes even after severe SCI. Additional studies are in progress to establish long-term safety and to scale up grafting methods to the larger primate system. Accordingly, this work is on a translational path.