• Accomplishments
• Contact

• Research
• Spinal Cord Injury Projects
  • Bone Marrow Grafts for Spinal Cord Repair
  • Corticospinal Regeneration
  • EphA4 Peptide Inhibitors for Neurotrauma Treatment
  • Functional Electrical Stimulation for Hand Function in Quadriplegia
  • Macrophage Cytotoxicity after SCI
  • Matrix Technology for Spinal Cord Repair
  • National Study of Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Outcomes
  • New Treatments for Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries
  • Novel Sodium Channel Blockers
  • Singing in Spinal Cord Injury
  • Sleep Health in Tetraplegia
  • Spinal Cord Recovery in the Opossum
• Traumatic Brain Injury Projects
• Targeted Initiatives
• Completed TBI and SCI Projects
• Program Grants

Matrix Technology for Spinal Cord Repair

Application and Development of Acellular Matrix Technology as a Biological Scaffold for Spinal Cord Repair

Chief Investigator: Dr Kathy Traianedes
Associate Investigators: Professor Stephen Livesey, Dr Giles Plant, Dr Marc Ruitenberg
Steering Committee: Dr George Owen, Professor Stephen Livesey, Dr Giles Plant
Lead Organisation: St. Vincent's Hospital
VNI Funding: $412,993
Project Start Date: 30-Oct-07

Project Summary:
In Australia, there are approximately 400 new cases of Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) every year. SCI results in permanent and severe disability. For individuals affected, even partial restoration of the damaged spinal cord could result in improved breathing, limb and bladder function. Such changes could dramatically improve an individual’s quality of life. Currently, there is no treatment available for repair of the injured spinal cord.

This study aims to develop a scaffold that can be used to repair the injured spinal cord. The purpose of the scaffold is to create a bridge across the damaged area, creating a path for spinal cord regeneration. An acellular dermal matrix has been available in the USA for a number of years, for the treatment of various soft tissue injuries (e.g. burns, abdominal wall repair). This technology has been successfully utilised in an animal model of peripheral nerve regeneration. This evidence strongly supports the hypothesis that this type of scaffold may potentially repair the injured spinal cord. This study aims to identify and develop a scaffold that leads to optimal regeneration of the injured spinal cord in an animal model. This will be performed in phases over three years. The final outcome of this study will be an ‘off-the-shelf’ freeze dried scaffold that can be used at the time of surgery for spinal cord regeneration.