O27: The Role of Hydrogels and Cell Based Therapies in Regeneration of Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is one of the devastating conditions leading to functional and neurological deficits following road traffic accidents. To date, there is no definite treatment for repairing damaged spinal cord tissue. In this regard, cell therapy opens a new window in front of scientists by using different cells such as mesenchymal stem cells, olfactory ensheathing cells, Schwann cells, neural stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells. But, cell therapy faces some problems related to cell survival, migration and differentiation. Based on the results of recent studies, supporting the transplanted cells with a proper scaffold can be helpful. Among several scaffolds, hydrogels are outstanding one with several beneficial properties for neural tissue engineering. The future of SCI regeneration is probably linked to combinatorial approaches in which both cells and scaffolds play its significant roles.