An injectable biomaterial gel may help brain tissue grow at
the site of a traumatic brain injury, according to findings by a Clemson University bioengineer.
Research by assistant professor of bioengineering Ning Zhang
shows that the biomaterial gel made up of both synthetic and natural sources
has the potential to spur the growth of a patient's own neural stem cells in
the body, structurally repairing the brain injury site. In previous lab
studies, Zhang has demonstrated the reconstruction of a complete vascular
network at the injury site as an initial step toward brain tissue regeneration.
Four weeks after a TBI lesion on a rat's brain with hydrogel treatment. This is a mosaic image reconstruction of the lesion. A well-structured vasculature network was rebuilt at the lesion filled with the hydrogel. Green is neurofilament staining for neurites, and red is Reca-1 staining for blood vessels. Credit: Clemson Univ.
Zhang presented her findings Wednesday, Sept. 2, at the
Military Research Forum in Kansas City.
The conference is geared toward improving the overall health and welfare of the
U.S.
armed forces, their families, veterans and the American public.
"We have seen an increase in brain injuries due to
combat, but our strategy can also potentially be applied to head injuries
caused by car accidents, falls and gunshot wounds," said Zhang.
"These results that we are seeing in adult lab rats are the first of its
kind and show a sustained functional recovery in the animal model of TBI
(traumatic brain injury). It also represents one of very few in the traumatic
brain injury field that attempts structural repair of the lesion cavity using a
tissue-engineering approach."
Zhang predicts the procedure may be ready for human testing
in about three years.
The researcher says current approaches to traumatic brain
injury have been focused on managing the primary injury using hypothermia or
neuroprotection with pharmacological agents, all with limited success. With
this new procedure, the hydrogel is injected into the lesion site to direct the
response of neural stem cells in the brain to regenerate normal brain tissue at
the lesion site.
The current research is supported by a $220,000 grant from
the U.S. Department of Defense.
Original
article
SOURCE: Clemson Univ.
