Deeply evaluation of multi-functional hydrogel for cell-based therapy of Parkinson's disease

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15H05353
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Biomedical engineering/Biomaterial science and engineering
• Research Institution: University of Toyama
• Principal Investigator: Nakaji-Hirabayashi Tadashi 富山大学, 大学院理工学研究部(工学), 准教授 (10543217)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: パーキンソン病 / キメラタンパク質 / タンパク質アンカーリング / semi vivo / 細胞移植 / 神経網再建

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this work, the novel hydrogel system for cell-based therapy of Parkinson's disease could be constructed. From the animal experiment, it was demonstrated that this hydrogel system improved the graft survival and facilitated the differentiation into dopamine neuron of engrafted cells, and the disease state improved drastically by using this hydrogel system. Additionally, I evaluated the mechanism for the regeneration of nerual network by cell-hydrogel co-transplantation. From these study, it was indicated that 1) hydrogel system slightly degrades in the state of the differentiation into dopamine neurons and does not inhibit the integration between transplanted dopamine neurons and host striatum, 2) dopamine neurons in hydrogel system construct the neural network and carry out the electrical transmission. These results are very important information to put this hydrogel system to practical use.

Free Research Field

バイオマテリアル科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は，申請者が開発したハイドロゲルシステムの実用性を裏付ける上で大きな重要性を持つものであることはもちろんのこと，さらに，神経網構築に至るメカニズムに関する新知見の提案にもつながり学術的価値の高いものと考える。本成果を基に，開発技術が臨床応用につながれば，社会への貢献度も非常に大きい。
加えて，本研究課題で新規に開発した，"semi vivo" 評価系は，動物実験代替モデルとしての可能性が見出され，生体材料開発研究，化粧品開発研究，組織・細胞生物学研究といった学術研究にも貢献できるものと期待される。