Promotion of Survival and Differentiation of Neural Stem Cells with Fibrin and Growth Factor Cocktails after Severe Spinal Cord Injury

The overall goal of this procedure is to enhance survival and differentiation of neural stem cells transplanted into lesions of severely injured spinal cord in rats. This is accomplished by first making a spinal cord lesion such as a T three transection with most dura intact except a small opening to retain grafted cells. The second step of the procedure is to harvest freshly dissociated neural stem cells from embryonic day 14 rat fetus.

The third step is Resus suspending neural stem cells into each component of fibrin matrices containing growth factor cocktails. The final step is to transplant neural stem cells in fibrin matrices and growth factors into the subacute lesion center, immunofluorescence microscopy of transfected and grafted spinal cords. At seven weeks post grafting can show excellent survival of neural stem cells and their differentiation into mature neurons, which extend remarkable numbers of axons into the host.