Spinal cord injury （SCI） is a devastating medical condition without a cure. Reestablishment of neuronal connections after spinal cord injury is the ＂holy grail＂ of SCI research. However, grafting exogenous cells, ...Spinal cord injury （SCI） is a devastating medical condition without a cure. Reestablishment of neuronal connections after spinal cord injury is the ＂holy grail＂ of SCI research. However, grafting exogenous cells, including neural stem cells and a variety of adult somatic cells, has had very lim- ited success [1]. Two back-to-back papers published in the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences USA by the Li and Sun groups have provided exciting information by bringing activated endogenous neurogenesis into play, using a biomaterial called chitosan that was loaded with neu- rotrophic factor 3 （NT3） to achieve slow release of the trophic factor. Moreover, these papers have provided a mechanistic insight using analyses of gene expression and neuronal function.展开更多
文摘Spinal cord injury （SCI） is a devastating medical condition without a cure. Reestablishment of neuronal connections after spinal cord injury is the ＂holy grail＂ of SCI research. However, grafting exogenous cells, including neural stem cells and a variety of adult somatic cells, has had very lim- ited success [1]. Two back-to-back papers published in the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences USA by the Li and Sun groups have provided exciting information by bringing activated endogenous neurogenesis into play, using a biomaterial called chitosan that was loaded with neu- rotrophic factor 3 （NT3） to achieve slow release of the trophic factor. Moreover, these papers have provided a mechanistic insight using analyses of gene expression and neuronal function.
