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Plant Scaffolds Support Motor Recovery and Regeneration in Rat Spinal Cord Injury

Daniel J. Modulevsky, Charles M. Cuerrier, Maxime Leblanc-Latour, Ryan J. Hickey, Ras-Jeevan K. Obhi, Isabel Shore, Ahmad Galuta, Krystal L. A. Walker, Eve C. Tsai, View ORCID ProfileAndrew E. Pelling
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.10.21.347807
Daniel J. Modulevsky
1Department of Physics, STEM Complex, 150 Louis Pasteur Pvt., University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N5N5 Canada
2Department of Biology, Gendron Hall, 30 Marie Curie, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N5N5 Canada
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Charles M. Cuerrier
1Department of Physics, STEM Complex, 150 Louis Pasteur Pvt., University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N5N5 Canada
2Department of Biology, Gendron Hall, 30 Marie Curie, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N5N5 Canada
3Spiderwort Inc., 7, Bayview Station Road, Ottawa, ON, K1K4R3 Canada
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Maxime Leblanc-Latour
1Department of Physics, STEM Complex, 150 Louis Pasteur Pvt., University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N5N5 Canada
3Spiderwort Inc., 7, Bayview Station Road, Ottawa, ON, K1K4R3 Canada
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Ryan J. Hickey
1Department of Physics, STEM Complex, 150 Louis Pasteur Pvt., University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N5N5 Canada
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Ras-Jeevan K. Obhi
1Department of Physics, STEM Complex, 150 Louis Pasteur Pvt., University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N5N5 Canada
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Isabel Shore
1Department of Physics, STEM Complex, 150 Louis Pasteur Pvt., University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N5N5 Canada
3Spiderwort Inc., 7, Bayview Station Road, Ottawa, ON, K1K4R3 Canada
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Ahmad Galuta
4Program in Neuroscience, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1Y 4E9 Canada
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Krystal L. A. Walker
4Program in Neuroscience, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1Y 4E9 Canada
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Eve C. Tsai
4Program in Neuroscience, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1Y 4E9 Canada
5Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON, K1Y 4E9 Canada
6Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5 Canada
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Andrew E. Pelling
1Department of Physics, STEM Complex, 150 Louis Pasteur Pvt., University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N5N5 Canada
2Department of Biology, Gendron Hall, 30 Marie Curie, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N5N5 Canada
3Spiderwort Inc., 7, Bayview Station Road, Ottawa, ON, K1K4R3 Canada
7Institute for Science Society and Policy, Simard Hall, 60 University, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N5N5 Canada
8SymbioticA, School of Human Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6009 Australia
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  • ORCID record for Andrew E. Pelling
  • For correspondence: a@pellinglab.net
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Abstract

As of yet, no standard of care incorporates the use of a biomaterial to treat traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI)1–5. However, intense development of biomaterials for treating SCI have focused on the fabrication of microscale channels to support the regrowth of axons while minimizing scar tissue formation6–10. We previously demonstrated that plant tissues can be decellularized and processed to form sterile, biocompatible and implantable biomaterials that support cell infiltration and vascularization in vivo11–13 Notably, the vascular bundles of plant tissues are also composed of microscale channels with geometries thought to be relevant for supporting neural tissue regeneration14,15. We hypothesized that decellularized vascular bundles would support neural regeneration and the recovery of motor function. Therefore, rats which received a completeT8-T9 spinal cord transection were implanted with plant-derived channeled scaffolds. Animals which received the scaffolds alone, with no therapeutic stem cells or other interventions, demonstrated a significant and stable improvement in motor function over six months compared to controls. Histological analysis reveals minimal scarring and axonal regrowth through the scaffolds, further confirmed with tracer studies. Taken together, our work defines a novel route for exploiting naturally occurring plant microarchitectures to support the repair of functional spinal cord tissue.

Competing Interest Statement

DJM, CMC, RJH and AEP are inventors of multiple patents regarding the creation and use of plant-derived cellulose biomaterials. DJM, CMC, RJH, MLL, IS and AEP were, or are, employees of Spiderwort Inc. which is leading the clinical translation of these biomaterials. All other authors declare no competing interests.

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission.
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Posted October 22, 2020.
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Plant Scaffolds Support Motor Recovery and Regeneration in Rat Spinal Cord Injury
Daniel J. Modulevsky, Charles M. Cuerrier, Maxime Leblanc-Latour, Ryan J. Hickey, Ras-Jeevan K. Obhi, Isabel Shore, Ahmad Galuta, Krystal L. A. Walker, Eve C. Tsai, Andrew E. Pelling
bioRxiv 2020.10.21.347807; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.10.21.347807
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Plant Scaffolds Support Motor Recovery and Regeneration in Rat Spinal Cord Injury
Daniel J. Modulevsky, Charles M. Cuerrier, Maxime Leblanc-Latour, Ryan J. Hickey, Ras-Jeevan K. Obhi, Isabel Shore, Ahmad Galuta, Krystal L. A. Walker, Eve C. Tsai, Andrew E. Pelling
bioRxiv 2020.10.21.347807; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.10.21.347807

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