Bioactive scaffolds with enhanced supramolecular motion promote recovery from spinal cord injury

Abstract

Artificial scaffolds that bear the peptide-signaling sequences of proteins for tissue regeneration often have limited effectiveness. Álvarez et al . synthesized supramolecular peptide fibril scaffolds bearing two peptide sequences that promote nerve regeneration, one that reduces glial scarring and another that promotes blood vessel formation (see the Perspective by Wojciechowski and Stevens). In a mouse model of paralyzing human spinal cord injury, mutations in a tetrapeptide domain outside of the signaling regions improved recovery by promoting intense supramolecular motion within the fibrils. The mutation with the most intense dynamics resulted in corticospinal axon regrowth and myelination, functional revascularization, and motor neuron survival. —PDS

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Nov 12, 2021
Source ID
10.1126/science.abh3602

Entities

People

  • Alexandra N Edelbrock
  • Evangelos Kiskinis
  • F. Chen
  • Ivan R Sasselli
  • Juan Alberto Ortega Cano
  • Peter A Mirau
  • Ruomeng Qiu
  • Samuel I. Stupp
  • Stacey M Chin
  • Steven L Weigand
  • Zaida Álvarez
  • Zois Syrgiannis

Organizations

  • Air Force Research Laboratory
  • Northwestern University

Tags

Readers

  • Neuroscience
  • Polymer Science and Technology
  • Trauma Surgery or Emergency Medicine.