The IPPC scientists studying treatments for spinal cord injury recovery.

Study of mechanisms for reactivating the neural function after spinal cord injury.

-researchers have published a scientific paper that reviews the pharmacology available to control the processes of ischemia, or lack of oxygen in tissues

-ischemia process control could prevent secondary damage in spinal cord injuries

Valencia, March 2012.- the laboratory of Neuronal regeneration of the Centre of research scientists Prince Philip made a revisionexhaustive ón of Pharmacology available to inhibit the main regulator of hypoxia or lack of oxygen, a common consequence of different pathological processes such as spinal cord injury, cancer or any process in which the tissue regeneration is involved.

The result has been published in a review article or review ” of the Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences Magazine, and discussed in detail all the pharmacological arsenal known to date of modulators of HIF (for its acronym in English, hypoxia inducible factor ”), which is the master regulator of processes occurring in hypoxia. Hypoxia occurs when tissue is deprived of adequate oxygen supply, and it is caused by this hypoxia inducible factor ” or HIF.

The process of hypoxia is of great interest as a way to better understand the mechanisms governing various pathological processes as for example those that take place in cancer. As explained by Victoria Moreno-Manzano, senior researcher of the laboratory of Neuronal regeneration, hypoxia has an important role in the progression of the cancer, and HIF participates in the adaptation of tumor cells in this environment ischaemic ”. In this way, what would be interested in cancer is block HIF to stop this proliferation or inhibit it somehow. Recently, members of the group, published in the scientific journal Cell Cycle, inhibitor of HIF called FM19G11 (first described in the IPPC) hinders the proliferation of tumor cells.

However, depending on the context in which it is working, the interest can be focused on the opposite objective. It is the case of spinal cord injury, where as points Moreno-Manzano, the scientific attraction would focus on the activation of HIF to get increased cell proliferation, and in particular those neural precursors with potential to regenerate damaged areas ”.

The published review is a compendium of all the potential uses of drugs aimed at blocking and/or activation of this inducible factor by hypoxia (HIF) involved in different pathological processes. For the scientific victory Moreno-Manzano, the Association of HIF with various pathologies make it a key element of study, through which we are seeking answers to diseases and potential future treatments ”.

A laboratory focused on the study of the spinal cord injury recovery

The team of researchers from the laboratory of Neuronal regeneration of CIPF focuses its work in the study of the potential recovery of spinal cord injuries. Scientists aims to reactivate the neural function after traumatic spinal cord injury, through various experimental techniques that use both the cell therapy and drugs. Thus, in addition to regenerative medicine, researchers at this laboratory also work in the study of the recovery of spinal cord injury from a pharmacological perspective.

Specifically, scientists are exploring the potential of composite modulators of HIF as Combinatorial therapy or synergistic. As points out Victoria Moreno, the development of different experimental methods pursues as its ultimate goal the improvement of the chances of success in the treatment of this pathology, although they are still far from reach the clinic ”.

A new molecule with effectiveness in the prevention of secondary damage

In this sense, researchers at the laboratory of Neuronal regeneration of CIPF have demonstrated the efficacy of the newly discovered inhibitor called HIF FM19G11 ”. This molecule in conditions of hypoxia promotes the differentiation of cells ependymal (epSPC). Ependymal cells are a population of stem cells present in the spinal cord capable of differentiating into neural cells. The cells used in the laboratory are obtained from the spinal cord of adult rodent, an in vitro experimental model made in the laboratory for the study of the processes of regeneration of injured spinal cord.

The process used by the researchers in the study has been to treat these stem cells with the above-mentioned inhibitor of HIF and they have obtained results that demonstrate that this method favors the differentiation into neurons and oligodendrocytes employed stem cells. This process of differentiation will improve the chances of success in the repair of connections axonal loss after a spinal cord injury, as there after the injury and damage primary a considerable loss of these two cell types, among others.

Thus, FM19G11 contributes to the machinery of endogenous regeneration ” is activated spontaneously after a spinal cord injury, so this molecule might be useful as a mechanism for prevention of secondary damage to spinal cord injuries, to weaken further activation of programmes of cell death that affect survivors oligodendrocytes and their structure in a hypoxic environment. These processes of cell death are the reason for which breaks down the progression of the nerve impulse, and neural activity in spinal cord injuries.

Despite discoveries and advances research, the clinical situation is the absence of an effective treatment for the serious consequences arising from a spinal cord injury. As Moreno-Manzano, with the development of various methods and techniques of study such as those raised in our laboratory are pursuing contribute to the future improvement of the chances of success in the treatment of this serious disease process, although at the moment it is in any case of experimental procedures ”.

The high incidence of spinal cord lesions

The high social incidence of spinal cord injury makes it necessary to develop techniques and studies to help find potential future treatments. Globally it is estimated that they there are between 3.5 and 4 million injured spinal cord. Only in Spain there are about 48,000 affected, and each year the cases increase by 2.5%. The World Health Organization provides for the spinal cord injury will be among the five leading causes of disability in the year 2020.