It is estimated that between 250,000 and 500,000 people sustain a new Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) each year. In total, over 15 million people globally live with an SCI. SCI leads to severe chronic motor and/or sensory disability in a high percentage of patients. Currently, we are unable to predict the clinical course of these patients with sufficient accuracy. This is attributable to an imperfect understanding of the pathophysiology of post-traumatic spinal cord damage and the biological variables associated with a worse prognosis.
Despite decades of research, the development of effective therapies for spinal cord injury remains a complex challenge. Many promising approaches in the preclinical phase fail to translate into significant benefits in human clinical trials due to the complexity of the damage and its evolution over time. The pathophysiology of the injury is multifactorial, involving not only the primary mechanical damage but also a cascade of secondary events that continue to destroy nerve tissue for hours and days after the trauma.
To overcome these difficulties, it is essential to adopt new research approaches, focused on a deeper understanding of the underlying biological mechanisms and the development of personalized therapies. Understanding the mechanisms responsible for the evolution of spinal cord damage will make it possible to identify subjects at greater risk of unfavorable outcomes and to develop personalized therapies for SCI patients. Our group is dedicated to developing cutting-edge therapies for SCI. We adopt a profoundly interdisciplinary approach, integrating expertise ranging from nanofabrication and bioengineering to neurobiology and pharmacology. This unique synergy allows us to overcome the limitations of current therapeutic strategies, offering a distinctive advantage in the search for therapeutically effective solutions.
Objectives:
- Advanced Biopolymeric Materials: Design biopolymers for the controlled release of drugs and/or cells, with a focus on the selective targeting of glial cells and the sustained release of paracrine factors, maximizing effectiveness and reducing side effects.
- Personalized Multitherapies: Create and test innovative multitherapies that act synergistically on multiple pathological mechanisms of SCI, paving the way for precision medicine.
- Cutting-Edge Methodologies: Utilize advanced preclinical models, high-resolution microscopy techniques, artificial intelligence, and "Organ-on-Chip" platforms to accelerate the discovery and development of new therapies.
- Therapeutic Innovation for SCI: Rapidly develop and translate innovative therapies for SCI into the clinic, significantly improving the quality of life for patients.
- Train and develop young researchers for scientific advancement.
Novel Biopolymeric Materials for Drug or Cell Delivery
We design and develop biopolymeric materials capable of releasing therapeutic agents (drugs or cells) in a controlled and specific manner, maximizing efficacy and minimizing side effects. These controlled systems are crucial for targeted delivery to the injury site: - Nanometric Therapeutic Agents for Selective Cell Targeting: We develop therapeutic agents on the nanometric scale (nanocarriers with various functionalizations), optimized for the selective pharmacological targeting of glial cells (microglia/macrophages, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes). This approach allows us to modulate the inflammatory and scar response that occurs after injury, promoting a more permissive environment for regeneration. - Nanostructured Hydrogels for Controlled Release of Paracrine Factors: We develop advanced nanostructured hydrogels capable of sustained and controlled release of paracrine factors released by therapeutic cells (stem cells or the vascular stromal fraction derived from human adipose tissue). This strategy aims to leverage the support capacity provided by biomaterials at the injury site, ensuring the release of beneficial factors with trophic, angiogenic, and immunomodulatory properties, thereby promoting tissue repair.
Rational Design of Innovative Multitherapies
We are committed to the rational design of innovative multitherapies that address the complexity of SCI from multiple angles. We recognize that a single therapy is rarely sufficient for such a multifactorial condition, and thus we develop combined approaches that act additively or synergistically on different pathological mechanisms: Our combined therapeutic strategies, delivered via biopolymeric systems (a combination of multiple biomaterials capable of releasing different drugs and/or factors produced by therapeutic cells), represent a significant technological advance. This allows us to move towards personalized "precision medicine" treatments for acute and localized neurodegenerative diseases, such as SCI, optimizing efficacy for each individual patient. Our ultimate goal is to translate these innovations from basic research to clinically applicable therapies, significantly improving the quality of life for patients with SCI.
International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation.
