Grant: Project Grant

Traumatic injuries to nerve and other disorders affecting nerve (called neuropathies) are common conditions, resulting in severe paralysis, sensory loss and pain in many Canadians. Techniques to repair nerve injuries to date allow some recovery of function, but most patients continue to have significant neurological dysfunction and debilitating pain. We propose a cell-based therapy to improve outcomes. The adult skin, which can be obtained from patients with minimal side-effects, contains unique stem cells (skin-derived precursors, or SKPs) that can be differentiated into a repair type of cell that normally provides support to nerve cells. This cell, called a Schwann cell, supports nerve cell axons, along with providing insulating myelin and growth factors, which helps axons regenerate following injury. We have already developed techniques to rapidly generate skin Schwann cells (SCs) from human skin, and have preliminary data on their ability to repair nerve and to produce some myelin. In this proposal, we aim to optimize SCs for repair potential and then validate their effect after delivery in a rodent nerve injury model. The optimization of SCs will include approaches to genetically re-program cells and the use of advanced cell identification and sorting techniques to isolate and then expand cells that are most potent for repair. We will deliver the optimized SCs via an approved for human use nerve guidance conduit, leveraging state-of-the-art innovation from a partner company, to examine the functionality of these cells in nerve injury and repair in rodents. We have put together a dynamic team with expertise in nerve surgery and repair (Midha), stem cell biology (Biernaskie) and neural development and genetic reprogramming (Schuurmans) and have some promising preliminary results. This research has the potential to improve the way in how nerve injury is managed, thereby positively impacting the health and well-being of many Canadians.