Multipotent Mesenchymal Stromal Cells and Epidermal Neural Crest Stem Cells: in vitro comparative study as potential therapy of inflammatory central nervous system disease

• Grant number: 16/01560-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Start date: July 21, 2016
• End date: July 20, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Pathology
• Principal Investigator: Rogério Martins Amorim
• Grantee: Rogério Martins Amorim
• Host Investigator: Dori L. Borjesson
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of California, Davis (UC Davis), United States

Abstract

Over the past decade, stem cell therapy has become a corner stone in translational and regenerative medicine for many diseases. However, brain and spinal cord diseases represent a challenge in stem cell based therapy. Stem cells therapies for CNS injury can be driven either with cell replacement by transplanted stem cells or by stimulation of endogenous CNS stem cells; and by the improvement of the microenvironment mediated by anti-inflammatory/immunomodulatory effects. Multipotent Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (MSCs) are the most common type of stem cells investigated in the cell-based therapy experiments. Another type of stem cell recently described in dogs includes the Epidermal Neural Crest Stem Cell (EPI-NCSC). These cells are novel candidates for CNS disease therapy in dogs. Several reports have demonstrated positive effects of MSC therapy in a large number of disorders, including brain and spinal cord injuries in laboratory animal models and in humans. Dogs are interesting animal models for CNS diseases because they have naturally-occurring brain and spinal cord injuries similar to human beings, such as canine inflammatory CNS disease and multiple sclerosis. The major aim of this project is evaluate in vitro the expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines and the potential for neural differentiation of the canine AT-MSC and EPI-NCSC for future therapy of the inflammatory CNS disease. This study will be performed at the Veterinary Institute for Regenerative Cures - UC Davis, under the supervision of Dr. Dori Borjesson.