Severe spinal cord injuries can result in lasting disabilities, with most of the damage occurring due to degenerative processes at the wound site. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine focused on developing an immunotherapy to minimize damage from traumatic spinal cord injuries in mice. Published in Nature, their study showed that immunotherapy could protect neurons from being attacked by immune cells, leading to improved outcomes for those with spinal cord injuries. By taking advantage of immune cells’ neuroprotective function while controlling their detrimental abilities, the researchers were able to develop a novel approach to treating spinal cord injuries.
Immune cells flood the site shortly after a nervous system injury, including activated T cells that can either harm or protect surrounding neurons. By analyzing these T cells and separating the harmful from the protective ones, the researchers were able to create numerous copies of the beneficial cells to treat injured mice. However, they found that the protective T cells could mistakenly attack the body’s tissues when activated for too long, causing autoimmune disease. To address this issue, the cells were modified to shut off after a few days, leading to improved mobility in the treated mice, especially when infused within a week of the injury.
The researchers also collaborated with a spinal cord surgeon to look for T cells in the cerebral spinal fluid of patients with spinal cord injuries. They found a significant expansion of these cells, confirming the feasibility of expanding protective T cells from these patients to generate immunotherapy. The goal is to devise a clinical trial to test this therapy in people with spinal cord injuries, as well as in neurodegenerative diseases like ALS, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s. The researchers believe that similar processes may mediate neuron death in these diseases, providing an opportunity to adapt the engineered cells for use as a therapy in neurodegeneration.
Overall, there are currently no effective treatments for traumatic injuries to the central nervous system. This research offers a promising new approach to treating spinal cord injuries by harnessing the protective abilities of immune cells to minimize damage and improve mobility in affected individuals. By successfully manipulating the behavior of these immune cells, the researchers were able to develop an immunotherapy that could potentially have significant benefits for those recovering from spinal cord injuries. The future goal is to translate this research into clinical trials and expand the use of this therapy to other neurodegenerative diseases in order to provide better treatment options for patients.