Novel molecular and structural tools for damage repair in the brain and spinal cord

Traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries as well as neurological disorders such asAlzheimer and strokes have major clinical and social impacts on humanity.Unfortunately, the damage that these injuries cause are not recovered by the body or bycurrent treatments. There is a need for intense interventions, such as those offered bytissue engineering approaches.In the adult central nervous system, especially that of elderly people where interventionis mostly needed, there is a shortage of appropriate factors and cellular machinery fordamage recovery. As a consequence, injury or disease causes severe neural cell lossand insufficient tissue restoration.There is a need for materials that accelerate generation and migration of neurons to thedamaged site and cause them to synaptically interact there.

Prof. Baranes and his research team have developed a breakthrough method for tissueregeneration. Their technology is based on a unique scaffold made of skeleton of marinecorals, which has the capacity to nurture neural cells with their calcium-rich crystals. Thiscapability empowers the scaffold to support and promote survival and growth of neuronsand glial cells, as well as stem cells, to form healthy and endurable nervous tissues.Prof. Baranes is the first to use coral skeletons successfully for generating nervoustissue from dissociated cells (Fig. 1) and from adult brain slices (Fig. 2), and for repairingbrain injuries (Fig. 3). Moreover, he developed a novel tissue generating media (TRM)which in conjunction with coral skeleton enhances recovery of wounded nervous tissueof the adult brain (Figs. 2 and 3). This scaffold+TRM technology is being tested forregrowth of other tissues and organs in vivo and ex vivo.The Baranes coral scaffold approach for tissue fabrication is based on synchronoususage of two components:1) Bioactive scaffold (coral skeleton) that is: highly porous, yet mechanically strong degradable and biocompatible protects and nurtures cells promotes cell growzth and differentiation Inhibits blood coagulation2) A novel tissue regenerating media (TRM) – developed by the Baranes lab  enhances cell survival, growth and differentiation increases the life span of aging cellsProf. Baranes and his research team have developed a breakthrough method for tissueregeneration. Their technology is based on a unique scaffold made of skeleton of marinecorals, which has the capacity to nurture neural cells with their calcium-rich crystals. Thiscapability empowers the scaffold to support and promote survival and growth of neuronsand glial cells, as well as stem cells, to form healthy and endurable nervous tissues.

USA