Regenerative Medicine for Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is conventionally considered as an irreversible condition with damaged gray matter and myelinated fiber tracts in white matter. This condition also results in limited functional recovery and life-threatening secondary complications. Regenerative medicine is a rapidly growing field that bears great promise to replace or repair the damaged neural system. A wide range of cell types have been investigated. Positive results have been demonstrated through multiple approaches, i.e., transplanting and/or migrating stem cells to the injury site, suppressing the activity of molecules that inhibit axon regrowth and remyelination, or a combination of the methods. However, there are still numerous issues to be addressed before establishing it as a clinical routine. In the current article, the recent technique advancements in regenerative medicine are reviewed with an emphasis on relevant patents awarded between 2007 and 2011.