The University of South Florida (USF) is once again grabbing the attention of the traumatic brain injury community through its advances in research. After making headlines for early stem-cell therapy discoveries last year, USF researchers are again advancing their findings one step further.
Neuroscientists at the Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair, Department of Neurosurgery in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, USF, have now concluded several preclinical studies aimed at finding combination stem-cell therapies to improve the outcomes for traumatic brain injury patients.
Importance and Effectiveness of Combined Stem-Cell Therapy
The stand-alone effects of the combined therapies possess a therapeutic potential for traumatic brain injuries, based on results from their previous studies. For example, granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), a growth factor, proved researchers’ theories about its ability to mobilize stem cells from bone marrow and then infiltrate injured tissues, promoting self-repair of neural cells. Human umbilical cord blood cells (hUBCs) have been shown to simultaneously suppress inflammation and promote cell growth in injured brain tissue.
In their study of several different stem-cell therapies (alone and in combination) applied to laboratory rats modeled with TBI, USF researchers found that a combination of hUBCs and G-CSF, was more therapeutic than either administered alone, or each with saline, or saline alone. The study’s lead author Cesar V. Borlongan, PhD, professor of neurosurgery and director of USF’s Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair, explained in greater detail about the conclusions reached as the experiments were finished in early 2014.
“Chronic TBI is typically associated with major secondary molecular injuries, including chronic neuroinflammation, which not only contribute to the death of neuronal cells in the central nervous system, but also impede any natural repair mechanism. In our study, we used hUBCs and G-CSF alone and in combination. In previous studies, hUBCs have been shown to suppress inflammation, and G-CSF is currently being investigated as a potential therapeutic agent for patients with stroke or Alzheimer’s disease.”
Researchers have long factored in an active role of the immune system in the central nervous system to stimulate, repair, or enhance molecular damage as a key to the progression of many neurological disorders, including traumatic brain injuries. The immune system also plays similar, dual roles in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis and a few other autoimmune diseases, according to the researchers.
Paul R. Sanberg, distinguished professor at USF and principal investigator of the Department of Defense funded project, commented on the findings:
“This outcome may indicate that the stem cells had more widespread biological action than the drug therapy. Regardless, their combination had an apparent synergistic effect and resulted in the most effective amelioration of TBI-induced behavioral deficits.”
As the experiment came to a close at the current stage, the researchers concluded that additional studies of this particular balance of combination therapy are warranted in order to better understand their modes of action. The findings serve as one more “fine tuning” step to narrow the spectrum of research toward the most effective brain injury treatments. While USF’s latest research focused on motor improvements, the team suggested that future combination therapy research should also include analysis of cognitive improvement in the laboratory animals modeled with TBI.
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