Spinal cord injuries directly affect around two million people worldwide. They are severely debilitating, sometimes resulting in permanent paralysis. A high proportion of spinal injuries occur in young people and may lead to many years of dependency, meaning that their economic impact is also considerable.

Researchers from the University’s Faculty of Science have developed a new way to study the damage caused to the nervous system by spinal injuries, and to test potential therapies. They are using 3D laboratory cultures of central nervous system cells, which provide a more life-like model of how cells behave than conventional 2D cell cultures.

The team, led by James Phillips, is using the 3D culture system to grow astrocytes, the predominant cells involved in blocking repair after spinal cord damage. They are examining the response of astrocytes to damage and repair, and screening potential stem cell therapies that are being developed to treat spinal cord injury.

They are also working on a more advanced 3D-interface model, and are for implantation into sites of spinal cord to promote nerve regeneration. As well as offering a more realistic model of what happens in the body, the 3D cell culture technique may provide an alternative to the use of animals in some experiments. The team is now working with an industrial partner to develop viable production technology for an advanced central nervous system cell culture system suitable for widespread use in research and development.

The research has been supported with £200,000 of funding from The Wellcome Trust. It is being carried out in collaboration with Queen Mary University of London and University College London.

Tissue engineering