Cell and Tissue Instructive Materials for Central Nervous System Repair. (18th February 2020) - Rocha, Luís A.
Abstract: Neurodegenerative disorders and traumatic events affecting the central nervous system (CNS) represent one of the main health problems nowadays. The level of disability and impairment of these patients is very high, both at physiological and psychological level, drastically altering a person's lifestyle. The fact that CNS tissue has a limited capacity of regeneration has hampered the development of possible therapies to these conditions. The specificity of each disease also increases the complexity of creating strategies capable of inducing significant recovery. Therefore, the search for a solution for these problems most likely demands a combinatorial approach that integrates knowledge from different fields. Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine (TERM) concepts merge areas such as biology, chemistry, physics, or biomaterials science, and it is a strong candidate for CNS applications. In particular, the development of cell and tissue instructive materials (CTIMs) can bring new opportunities for the treatment of these conditions. In this review, the authors summarize and discuss the most recent advances in the development of CTIMs for CNS applications, focusing on traumatic conditions such as spinal cord injuy, traumatic brain injuy, but also stroke, and other neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease as well as multiple sclerosis. Abstract : Cell and tissue instructive materials provide valuable platforms to tackle central nervous system conditions by offering the opportunity to modulate different events in one approach. This review intends to summarize the recent progresses made by the field and will focus on traumatic events, stroke, and neurodegenerative diseases.