The research group of Professor Hideyuki Okano of Keio University and others elucidated the function of neurons differentiated from transplanted cells in human iPS cell-derived neural stem / progenitor cell transplantation for spinal cord injured mice for the first time using artificial receptor technology.
Spinal cord injury is a condition in which a strong external force is applied to the spinal cord parenchyma due to trauma such as a traffic accident, causing damage, resulting in paralysis of motor, sensory, and independent nerves.The number of new patients with SCI in Japan is about 5,000 per year, and the cumulative number of patients reaches more than 20.Nervous system cell damage / loss due to spinal cord injury is generally irreversible and there is no established treatment.
So far, the research group has reported the effectiveness of human iPS cell-derived nerve stem / progenitor cell transplantation therapy for spinal cord injured animals.It was said that nervous system cells do not regenerate when they are damaged and lost, but research has been advanced as an epoch-making method that can compensate for this.The transplanted cells are said to differentiate and engraft in spinal cord tissue and improve motor function through various mechanisms.However, there have been limited reports that directly prove the detailed mechanism of improvement of motor function by treatment.
In the study, human iPS cell-derived neural stem / progenitor cells into which suppressive artificial receptors (DREADDs *) genes were introduced were transplanted into spinal cord injured mice.After the improvement of motor function, when only the neural activity of transplanted cell-derived neurons was specifically suppressed by the action of artificial receptors, the motor function decreased.This indicates that neurons differentiated from engrafted transplant cells are incorporated into neural circuits and play a role in improving motor function.
This result supports the effectiveness of supplementing the lost nervous system cells, which is a feature of this treatment, and it is important to improve the function of transplanted cell-derived neurons in developing this transplanted treatment in the future. It suggests sex.
* An artificial receptor that is a genetically modified receptor in the body.When expressed in a target cell, only the cell can be manipulated.
Paper information:[Stem Cell Reports] Modulation by DREADD reveals the therapeutic effect of human iPSC-derived neuronal activity on functional recovery after spinal cord injury
