Investigation of Regenerative Effects of CRISPR / Cas9 Functionalized Piezoelectric Nerve Conduits on in vitro and in vivo Spinal Cord Injury Models - PIECRISCI

Project summary

Rationale There is no effective treatment for spinal cord injury (SCI); and long-term personal, social and economic costs are huge. Objectives PIECRISCI proposes a material-based treatment for SCI, incorporating exosome/CRISPR/Cas9 complexes into piezoelectric nerve conduits. The system will be tested in vitro, and on in vivo rat SCI models. Gender factors in regeneration will be evaluated. Potential applications Loading gene editing cargo in exosomes will provide protection; its release through conduits will allow targeting. The delivery system can be used for other diseases. The in vitro model can be developed further with human cells for personalized treatments. In vivo tests will lay the groundwork for clinical trials. Impact & potential benefits The strategy may improve the life standards of SCI patients, and lower treatment costs. Developed in vitro model can be used for pharmaceutical screening of other treatment strategies, and reduce the number of animals used in experiments.