The Future of Combinatorial Intervention Strategies for Nervous System Injury

Simisola O. Oludare
University of Illinois at Chicago
There are currently no intervention Acute Interventions Sub-Chronic Interventions Chronic Interventions
strategies which are able to Following the initial injury, there Continuous apoptotic degeneration of Loss of movement, sensation and
completely restore function is cell death, inflammation and a oligodendrocytes and neural network autonomic control
following nervous system injuries host of secondary injuries. connections.

This is due to the complexity of the Modulating

Combining stem cells and Targeted drug delivery
using scaffolds Tissue
pathophysiology of the disorders: inflammation neuroprosthetics
engineering with
• Hybrid neural interfaces Neuroprosthetics • The use of PGLA
• Loss of cells and secondary
– electrical nanoparticles to
scaffolds, drug
injury using for electrical stimulation delivery vehicles
• Interruption of connections pharmacological and function[5] stimulation release NGF for
between cells interventions • Connecting host tissue controlled release
• Loss of neural networks with the prosthetic into stem cells to
electrodes using mimic the
neutrophilic molecules [6] extracellular
The use of targeted
Due to the complexities of these pharmaceuticals and
synthetic
disorders, combinatorial therapies Improving the neural microenvironment[9]
electrical stimulation to
aimed at targeting multiple factors stop secondary environment and
Modulating
intervention promoting plasticity Cell
synergistically are needed. through electrical
plasticity with
transplantation
• MP delivery using gel training and
reservoirs and PGLA stimulation pharmacological
• Therapeutic Enhanced cell and tissue
Currently, the tools which are nanoparticles [2,3] therapy
replacement and repair using
• Systemic applications of
needed to tackle these complexities scaffolds and stem cells
Methylpredinose electrical stimulation
are available in the fields of to stave off
delivery is toxic [4] • Mesenchymal cells are able to
regenerative medicine, rehabilitation secondary injury [5,7]
mimic the capabilities of Schwann
and neuroprosthetics. Enhancing plasticity through cells[10,11]
movement training and targeted • Cell viability of mesenchymal cells
As the nervous system changes as a function pharmaceuticals can be boosted using collagen-
of time following an injury, a possible • Chrondonitase ABC combined immobilized nanofibers [12,13]
combination to optimize recovery is one in with repeated skills results in • PGA-neutral stem cell supported
improved performance [8]
which different therapeutic strategies are new tissue regeneration[14]
used at different time points .[1]

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