Research on regenerative treatment of traumatic brain injury by combining neural stem cell transplantation and neurite outgrowth-promoting compounds

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 22K16696
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 56010:Neurosurgery-related
• Research Institution: Keio University
• Principal Investigator: Yoshitaka Kase 慶應義塾大学, 医学部(信濃町), 特任講師 (00830655)
• Project Period (FY): 2022-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 神経幹細胞 / 神経細胞 / 脳挫傷 / 神経再生

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Traumatic brain injuries, such as cerebral contusions, often result from car accidents or other external impacts, leading to irreversible damage to brain tissue.
In response to this challenge, our study sought to explore regenerative therapy in a mouse model of brain contusion. Our approach involved combining insights from regenerative research on spinal cord injury treatment, utilizing human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neural stem/progenitor cell transplantation, with a compound identified by the principal investigator for its neurite outgrowth-promoting properties.
We transplanted human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neural stem/progenitor cells along with a neurite outgrowth-promoting compound to the site of brain contusion injury in mice, successfully promoting recovery at the tissue level in the damaged brain.

Free Research Field

神経再生

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

外傷性脳損傷は交通事故やその他の外的衝撃により引き起こされ、基本的に一度損傷した脳組織は再生することはない。交通事故などによる傷害により外傷性脳損傷を受傷し脳機能障害をきたすと、救命はできたとしても、その後の生活様式は一変してしまう。
そもそも脳挫傷は、脳梗塞に比べて組織自体が欠損してしまうため、再生がより困難という背景もあり、脳挫傷の再生治療研究は脳梗塞に比べるとその報告数は圧倒的に少ないのが現状であり、これまで、外傷による脳組織の欠損自体を回復させ、運動機能に加え、高次脳機能障害をも回復させた報告はなかったため、本研究は意義あるものである。